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How Cool Is That? The Grady P. Swisher Center in Kernersville dons a white coat with the fi rst snow of the season. The Center is home to Forsyth Tech programs
in International Business, Global Logistics and Therapeutic Massage, as well as arts and science courses.
2100 Silas Creek Parkway
Winston- Salem, NC 27103- 5197
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Focus On Forsyth Tech Taking
Corporate Training
Up A Notch
Winter 2010 I www. forsythtech. edu I 1
Forsyth Tech welcomes diversity and is dedicated to meeting the needs of students with disabilities,
as mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act. For more information, please contact
Sarah Hawks, Coordinator, Disabilities Services Offi ce, at 336.734.7155 or shawks@ forsythtech. edu.
Forsyth Tech is proud to be part of the North Carolina Community College
System, with 58 institutions serving more than 800,000 students annually.
North Carolina Community Colleges are creating success in our state by:
• Off ering hope for a better future through vocational training and education
• Providing opportunity by making higher education available to all citizens
• Generating jobs by creating a skilled workforce for business and industry
As the spring semester gets under way, Forsyth Tech has tallied a
20 percent increase in enrollment in credit programs over the spring
term last year. We have a record 9,571 students in degree, diploma
and certifi cate programs of study. The fact is, every semester brings
growth – in the number of students served, in the number of
programs and courses offered, in the number of locations in which
classes are taught.
While we are responding to more need in the community for
appropriately skilled workers and more individuals who must have
higher education and up- to- the- minute skill sets, we also must use
our limited resources more wisely and carefully than ever. We are
starting the new decade with a new strategic plan, the product of
many months of work and the input of faculty, staff, students and
many business and community leaders.
How we arrived at a set of strategic initiatives and how our progress
on those initiatives will be implemented, tracked and measured has
considerable import for our two- county region. Summarized in this
issue, Strategic Direction 2010, provides a glimpse of the road ahead.
Way to Grow
Contents
2
4
11
14
18
19
20
22
24
25
From the President I Taking Care of Business
Something that makes working
for Forsyth Tech dynamic and
rewarding is our close relation-ship
with local businesses. These
businesses are quite literally one of
our reasons for being. Making sure
that the workforce is as productive
as possible is part of the mission of
a community college.
One form this relationship takes is customized corporate
training. I’m extremely proud of the highly responsive
training our Corporate and Continuing Education division
provides to organizations large and small, under the able
leadership of Sue Marion. Whether it’s leadership develop-ment,
computer skills or Lean Manufacturing and service
training, our team consistently delivers learning experiences
that get high marks for quality, affordability and bottom- line
impact. As our Cover Story chronicles, once businesses or
non- profi t agencies get a taste of our on- site education, they
typically become regular clients, relying on Forsyth Tech for
most or all of their workforce development needs.
In a more general way, our curriculum courses are also
shaped by the needs of employers. When a new career- oriented
program is under consideration, our fi rst step is to conduct
research to determine whether businesses here would employ
people with that particular knowledge and set of skills. If the
program idea passes that test, our next step is to establish a
community advisory committee that is closely involved in the
design of all aspects of these degree, diploma and certifi cation
programs. Our goals are to prepare students to hit the ground
running in their chosen careers and to deliver to employers
the skilled people they must have.
Since serving the business community is one of our funda-mentals,
it is only appropriate that we involve business leaders
in the earliest planning stages of our college- wide initiatives.
Not long ago many of these leaders joined us for a two- day
planning retreat that resulted in Strategic Direction 2010,
a multiyear strategic plan for Forsyth Tech. You can read a
summary of what that group of staff, faculty and community
leaders produced on page 22.
A core value articulated in that process is a commitment to
being a collaborative partner in making our community a
better place to live. One of the best ways we can honor that
commitment is to help our local organizations operate effi -
ciently, effectively, fl exibly and competitively, through training
and development of their people.
Dr. Gary M. Green
{ The Honor Roll
{ Cover Story
{ Take It From Tech
{ Alumni Spotlight
{ Who Works Here
{ Who Goes Here
{ JobsNOW Graduation
{ Strategic Direction 2010
{ Working with WSSU
{ Why I Support Forsyth Tech
Be the Bridge to a Bright Future
An Open Letter from Thomas Ingram
President, Forsyth Tech Foundation Board
People are often surprised to learn that I grew up in the slums of Newark, New Jersey.
Teenage gangs were prevalent, and it was a tough and dangerous environment. I was able
to climb out of it, but many were not so fortunate.
What made the difference for me were mentors and role models, people I met at
the Boys Club and the Boy Scouts and the local arts center. I learned from them, and they
were my bridge to education, opportunity, and the satisfying professional and personal life I enjoy now.
People are also surprised at how little it takes to provide access to a world of opportunity for a motivated Forsyth
Tech student. Yes, the costs of attending Forsyth Tech are modest, but they are beyond the means of many who want
to study here, whether they are recent high school graduates or employed people who are struggling to support a
family while going to school. It’s nothing short of tragic that many people are forced to drop out because of an
inability to pay the tuition.
Providing scholarships is a primary purpose of the Forsyth Tech Foundation. The dollars you donate to help a
student attend this college and complete the requirements for a degree or diploma make more of a difference than
you can imagine. And not the least of that is the wonderful mentors and role models students encounter here in
caring instructors and staff members.
As a member of the Foundation board, I have been privileged to see the whole range of opportunities that
Forsyth Tech opens up for our community. I think of the large- scale collaborations fostered – like that between our
region’s two big medical centers that resulted in the construction of Bob Greene Hall and its new addition, where
so many hundreds of nurses and healthcare workers are trained. I think of exciting recent degree programs, like
Biotechnology and Nanotechnology, which are making our community a desirable place for leading- edge companies
to locate. I think of the satellite campuses being created that serve students for whom transportation is a clear obstacle.
Gifts to the Foundation play a part in getting innovations up and running, just as they contribute to getting
individuals up and running in good jobs and productive careers. Today, given the state of the economy, we all need
what Forsyth Tech does for our people and our community more than ever.
I encourage you to put your charitable dollars to work where they will work hardest for a bright future. You can
use the envelope bound into this magazine or make an online donation at www. forsythtech. edu.
Thomas E. Ingram
2 I www. forsythtech. edu I Winter 2010 Winter 2010 I www. forsythtech. edu I 3
The Honor Roll The Honor Roll
Got Talent!
Ricky Rickert and Michael Willard performed
Old Time Rock n’ Roll at “ Forsyth Tech’s Got
Talent,” the school’s fi rst ( and probably not last)
talent show. Held Nov. 12 in Ardmore Auditorium,
the show featured 27 different performers
( including faculty members Dr. Delores Wylie
and Dr. Kevin Conley) who entertained more than
180 audience members with top- notch music,
dance and comedy.
A Touch
of Compassion
Keana Walker, a second- year Forsyth Tech
Therapeutic Massage associate degree student,
was recently named the North Carolina Coopera-tive
Education Association’s William D. Weston
Co- op Student of the Year. The award recog-nizes
individuals who demonstrate outstanding
achievements and contributions during their
cooperative education experience. For her co- op
experience, Keana took the initiative to approach
Hospice of the Piedmont. There she started a new
complementary massage therapy program, using
the therapeutic massage techniques she learned
at Forsyth Tech to bring comfort to hospice
patients and much needed stress relief to family
members and staff. Even more remarkably, Keana
is blind, having lost her sight to cone dystrophy
several years ago. Keana is shown above ( on left,
in blue) with Linda Moorer, chair of the Awards
Committee for the North Carolina Cooperative
Education Association, on the day of the Associa-tion’s
awards luncheon.
Most Influential
The Business Journal recently named
Forsyth Tech President Dr. Gary Green one of
the Triad’s Most Infl uential People. The magazine
cited Dr. Green as being the leader of an institu-tion
that “ is quickly and proactively helping laid
off workers retrain
and fi nd new
careers in this
recession.” They
also noted the
school’s recent
growth in enroll-ment
and the
manufacturing
skills certifi cation
pilot program the
school has implemented through the National
Association of Manufacturing in announcing his
placement on the list.
A Winning web site
The National Council of Marketing and
Public Relations ( NCMPR) District 2 Medallion
Awards recognize outstanding achievement in
communications at community and technical
colleges, and the 2009 winners were recently
announced. Forsyth Tech was well represented,
with the new and improved ForsythTech. edu
taking home the Gold award in the Web Site
category. A brochure created for the Forsyth Tech
Foundation received a Silver award, as did last
year’s Education Bond Referendum multimedia
campaign. Finally, Tech Quarterly received a
Bronze award in the Magazine category. The
NCMPR has members from more than 650
colleges nationally, with District 2 comprised
of those members from Alabama, Florida,
Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi,
North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee,
Virginia, West
Virginia, the
Bahamas
and Bermuda.
Lending
a Hand
“ Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” came
to Lexington recently to build a new home
for a local family. A number of local residents
volunteered to help with the project, and one of
them was Forsyth Tech’s own Dr. Kristin Redfi eld,
Instructor, English and Humanities. Kristin
delivered more than $ 3,000 worth of books
donated to the family by Usborne Books and local
author Dr. Gary Chapman, and also helped with
moving items into the new home. Kristin said the
experience left her with a “ warm feeling” and
was something she would gladly do again. The
episode of “ Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”
fi lmed in Lexington can be viewed online at abc.
go. com/ shows/ extreme- makeover- home- edition.
Respiratory Therapy
Reaches Rarefied Air
This past summer the Forsyth Tech Respira-tory
Therapy program was one of 10 programs
in the United States ( out of approximately 400)
to receive the 2009 CoARC Award for Excellence
in Education from the American Association of
Respiratory Care. The award was only given to
programs with 90 percent or higher Registered
Respiratory Therapist credentialing success for
the most recent three- year graduating years, and
also met or exceeded established attrition and job
placement thresholds. Forsyth Tech’s program
was the only one in the state of North Carolina
to receive the award.
Growing By Degrees
Forsyth Tech will be adding three new
curriculum programs in the fall of 2010, each
offering an Associate of Applied Science degree.
The curriculum model for one of the programs,
Business Administration/ Import Export
Compliance, was developed at and is being
introduced to the community college system
through Forsyth Tech. Bernie Yevin, Dean,
Business and Information Technologies Division,
says the program offers entry- level training and
education that will allow students to move into
the management of goods being shipped into or
out of a foreign country. The need for qualifi ed
import/ export compliance professionals in our
area is growing, said Yevin.
A second program, Sustainability Technol-ogy,
is also new to the North Carolina Commu-nity
College System. According to Herb Burns,
Department Chair, Architectural/ Construction
Technologies, the program instructs individuals
in areas such as alternative energy, environmen-tal
engineering technology, sustainable manufac-turing
and green building technology. Herb said
the need for sustainable technology throughout
the state is one reason this program was “ fast-tracked”
for introduction at several community
colleges in 2010.
The third new program is Broadcasting and
Production Technology, which helps students
develop the skills needed to enter radio and televi-sion
broadcasting and production. This program
had been available at other community colleges
but is new to Forsyth Tech. This new program, like
the others, will further expand the educational
opportunities available at our school.
Students Fix Bikes
for Tykes
Once again this year, Forsyth Tech students
in the Autobody program repaired bicycles to be
given to kids at Christmas. The students spent
their free time fi xing gears, adding new wheels
and brakes, and even painting the bikes, which
were then given to the Salvation Army for
distribution. This is the third year the students
have done this, and in that time they have
restored more than 900 bicycles. They have
also helped raise $ 1,100 to buy tricycles for
younger children.
You’re a Good Man,
Thomas Johnston
On December 14, the North Carolina
Trucking Association Maintenance Council
honored Thomas ( shown below), a student in
the Heavy Equipment and Transport Technol-ogy
program at Forsyth Tech. Each year the
Maintenance Council awards a 268- piece
starter tool set to a deserving student, and
Thomas was
nominated to be
this year’s recipient
by Joe Sechrest,
Department Chair
of the Transporta-tion
Department,
and Allen Doub,
his instructor.
While earning his
degree, Thomas
has maintained an
outstanding GPA and held down a full- time job
to support his family, demonstrating a level of
dedication and willingness to work hard they
felt should be rewarded.
New Leadership
Team Member Named
Jewel Cherry was named Interim Vice
President of Student Services, a position that
makes her a member of the President’s cabinet.
Before assuming this position, she was Dean
of Enrollment and Student Services. Jewel has
more than 15 years of experience with the
North Carolina Community College System.
tion Transporta-
’ s
Spreading Good Will
In the latest instance of Forsyth Tech folks
working to strengthen partnerships in the
community, Sue Marion, Vice President, Corporate
and Continuing Education Services, has joined
the Board of Directors of Goodwill Industries of
Northwest North Carolina. Dr. Gary Green,
President of Forsyth
Tech, recommended
Sue to the Board
because Forsyth
Tech partners with
Goodwill in many
different ways that
involve Corporate
and Continuing
Education. Sue
noted that she
will be a member of the Workforce Development
Subcommittee. She is scheduled to serve through
the end of 2015.
A Man of
Characters
Herb Burns, Depart-ment
Chair, Architectural/
Construction Technologies,
recently invited world- re-nowned
game designer and
concept artist Jason Manley to host a work-shop
on the campus of Forsyth Tech for the school’s
animation and gaming students. Mr. Manley was
visiting Winston- Salem to deliver a keynote speech
at the University of North Carolina School of the
Arts sponsored by the Piedmont Triad Partnership.
Mr. Manley talked to the students about a variety of
topics, including how he started and grew two of his
companies – Massive Black and conceptart. org –
and the art of character design. He then conducted
what Herb called “ a master’s class on developing
a character and the scenarios you go through to
build a good story around the character.”
’
4 I www. forsythtech. edu I Winter 2010
Cover Story
Liberty Hardware’s
Paige Green.
Taking
Corporate Training
Up A Notch
A few years ago Paige Green, human resources director
at Liberty Hardware in Winston- Salem, was trying to get
a grant to fund leadership training for new supervisors
at the company. That particular grant required that the
training be provided by an outside vendor.
When she scouted around, Ms. Green learned that
Forsyth Tech offered exactly what she was looking
for – courses developed by Development Dimensions
International, taught by a DDI certifi ed trainer. DDI is
a favorite for corporate training; about a quarter of
a million people go through its programs every year.
As it turned out, Liberty Hardware didn’t get the grant money.
Ms. Green could have taken all the courses herself and
become certifi ed to teach them. But having Forsyth Tech
do the training was a more cost- effective solution. Thirty
employees took more than 15 classes, including leadership
fundamentals, coaching and delegation.
“ It’s been phenomenal,” Ms. Green said. And leadership
training was just the beginning. In the past two years, Liberty
Hardware has turned to Forsyth Tech to teach employees to
operate their upgraded inventory management system, for
logistics and supply chain courses, for Six Sigma Yellow Belt
training and for customer service training.
Winter 2010 I www. forsythtech. edu I 5
Forsyth Tech instructor Chris Suttles
teaches Jeff Franklin to operate
the scissor lift on the upgraded
inventory management system
at Liberty Hardware.
Vice President Sue Marion with Tom Jaynes
Tammy Tally and Jennifer Coulombe the
corporate training team. Keeping current is
important. They belong to all the professional
organizations, keep their certifi cations up to
date, read everything they can get their hands
on and do great Google searches. Bottom line:
They thrive on change and growth.
Forsyth Tech’s corporate training group taught 160
courses, some of them involving as many as 50
class hours.
“ We visit as a team, and interview our clients
to fi nd out what they need,” Jennifer said. “ Instead
of starting with a list of courses we can offer, we go
in and hear what their needs are. To some extent,
all courses are customized, because industries and
companies each have their own lingo. We’ll often
spend twice as much to develop a course as they
pay us to deliver the course.”
In addition to the soft and hard skills training
they are best known for, the corporate training
group also offers executive coaching, strategic
planning, board training and board development,
and 360- degree feedback programs.
“ A lot of times we start with their strategic
plan, and how they want to transform the way
they do business,” Tammy said. “ We start with the
organization’s mission and vision and goals.”
A recent example is Tammy’s work with
P aige Green is not alone in having been
unaware of the breadth and quality of corporate
training available through Forsyth Tech. Even in a
state community college system that prides itself on
the large investment it makes in workforce develop-ment,
Forsyth Tech is a standout. And one thing that
sets it apart is a team of experienced trainers who
go out into the community, actively fi nd out what
employers want, and custom tailor learning experi-ences
for them, at their sites and on their schedules.
The team members are Jennifer Coulombe,
Director of Corporate Education; Tom Jaynes,
Director of Industrial Training; and Tammy Tally,
Coordinator/ Trainer in Corporate Education. “ My
experience is in business and the non- profi t sector,”
said Jennifer. “ Tammy’s background is in non- profi t
and government, and Tom’s is in industry and
technology. If we can’t provide an organization with
what they need, we tell them about other resources.”
Most of the time, however, they can provide
precisely what employers are looking for. In 2009,
Cover Story
Cover Story
Melicia Whitt- Glover, ( right) founder of
Gramercy Research Group, says, “ If I’d known
these things 10 years ago, I’d be dangerous.”
Having received professional development
training when she was on the faculty of Wake
Forest University School of Medicine, she was
persuaded of its power. Now all her employees
receive extensive group training, conducted
by Forsyth Tech’s Tammy Tally ( above).
Additionally, individual staff members have
taken many more Forsyth
Tech classes, at the Small
Business Center downtown
and online.
Gramercy Research Group, one of Winston- Salem’s
newest companies. Located in the Loewy Building
downtown, Gramercy was founded last March by
Dr. Melicia Whitt- Glover, who was previously a
faculty member at Wake Forest University School of
Medicine. The company does community research
focused on improving healthy lifestyle behaviors
like nutrition and physical activity, primarily
among black women. Gramercy Research Group
had a staff of nine by the end of 2009, with six more
slated to start in January. Most of them are data
collectors and community health workers.
“ We want to use this company as a ministry,
by creating jobs and employing people who may
have some diffi culty fi nding employment. They
are new graduates and people reentering the
workforce,” Dr. Whitt- Glover said. “ They’re eager
to get going, and they’re doing a great job. Giving
them training means they don’t have to learn
things the hard way.”
All the staff, even the interns, have had training
in time management, developing partnerships and
collaborations, personal empowerment and taking
initiative, and presentations and public speaking.
“ I had taken continuing education courses at
Forsyth Tech, just for fun. I didn’t know they did this
kind of training,” Dr. Whitt- Glover said. “ It’s been a
great experience.”
6 I www. forsythtech. edu I Winter 2010
What’s in a Name?
“ There are few independent research firms, because it’s difficult to survive.
I made the decision to start this company after prayer and fasting, making
sure this is what I was meant to do. And I prayed for a name. Gramercy
comes from a gospel song I was listening to – Your Grace and Mercy.”
-- Dr. Melicia Whitt- Glover, Founder and President, Gramercy Research Group
Staff training is a special event, but the preschoolers
at Head Start are active learners every day.
A group of the children are pictured here
with project specialist Marcy Sheets.
Winter 2010 I www. forsythtech. edu I 7
Cover Story
The soft skills, or interpersonal skills,
Gramercy Research Group was looking for are
particularly in demand.
“ In our community we have folks who have
skills, but not the right skills,” Tammy said. “ Em-ployers
will tell you that schools are not teaching
people what they need to be employable. We see
the same problems everywhere – people afraid to
confront confl ict, or not handling confl ict well,
people resisting change, when the rate of change
is breathtaking. Our goal as professionals is,
you’re going to see behavior changes.”
A popular course for helping teams operate
effectively and improving the way individuals
interact with clients or customers is the DiSC
assessment, a system of typing individuals by the
values and behaviors they exhibit at work. Family
Services, Inc. Head Start program had Forsyth
Tech train their management team and their
family advocates, social workers who interact
directly with the poverty- level families who qualify
for Head Start.
“ Family advocates assist families with short-term
and long- term goals, which may include
helping them with employment, furthering their
education or purchasing a home, as well as
any emergency issues that may arise,” said Jean
Lindsey, human resources manager for Family
Services. “ Workshops and events are planned
throughout the school year for the 499 children
and families we serve in Forsyth County.”
The DiSC training was so effective that Ms.
Lindsey is planning to have the teaching staff go
through the same course.
“ Jennifer was an excellent instructor,” she
said. “ Learning our colleagues’ dimensions of
behavior was enlightening and has made a posi-tive
difference in our team dynamics. There is no
‘ right’ or ‘ wrong’ in the different personality types
– a good team has members from all four
categories – Dominant, Infl uence, Steadfast
and Conscientious.”
A A b Couvte
Jean Lindsey, Human
Resources Administrator for
Family Services, took the
DiSC training with the
management group. She
found out that she’s a “ C,”
or Conscientious type,
which confi rmed something
she’s often observed: “ When
a new idea or proposal is
presented, the management
team looks to me to identify
the challenges, along with
the necessary steps to follow
our federal guidelines. They
know I’m all about the details.”
8 I www. forsythtech. edu I Winter 2010
Cover Story
The current recession has increased the
demand for the corporate training Forsyth Tech
offers. In some instances, companies no longer
have internal training resources after rounds
of layoffs. In others, companies have become
intensely aware of the need to keep the customers
they have, and keep them happy. That effort may
call for customer service training, or it may require
improvement of a company’s internal processes,
so that the organization becomes faster, more
responsive and more accurate in fi lling orders.
Kaba Access Control, a manufacturer of com-mercial
locks in Winston- Salem, is one of many
companies that looks to Lean Six Sigma training
to transform the way the work is done.
Ed Lodics became plant operations manager
at Kaba in April of 2008. “ At the time, our on- time
shipping rate was 65 to 70 percent. Now it’s over
95 percent, with more aggressive lead time. Lean
training is one piece of the puzzle,” he said.
Mr. Lodics started working with Tom Jaynes
almost as soon as he assumed his job, and by that
summer he had started the fi rst round of a 40-
hour training program in Lean manufacturing
principles for more than 15 employees. Then all
250 employees had an introductory course in 5S,
a process improvement technique.
To directly address what Mr. Lodics saw as a
A A b Couvte
The DiSC personality profi le is
a time- honored way of assessing
an individual’s behavior. A person’s
type is determined by his or her
answers to a series of 28 questions.
In the workplace, DiSC helps people
understand themselves and others
better, and therefore to communi-cate
more effectively. You probably
don’t need the full test to spot your
own type – or your co- workers
behavioral styles.
Dominance
Demanding, forceful, strong- willed,
determined, driving, ambitious,
pioneering.
Influence
Convincing, magnetic, enthusiastic,
persuasive, warm, expressive,
optimistic.
Steadiness
Calm, relaxed, patient, predictable,
deliberate, consistent, possessive.
Conscientious
Cautious, neat, exacting, systematic,
accurate, tactful.
everybody DiSC
can use
Ed Lodics, plant operations manager for
Kaba Access Control, went through the training
with his employees. “ That says a lot to them. I’ve been
in situations where the person leading the charge doesn’t
participate,” he said.
It’s hard to think of a piece of work that
wouldn’t benefi t from the 5S philosophy
that is a key to Lean Manufacturing.
The S’s apply to fi ve Japanese words, and
they add up to a process that results in
improved morale, safety, productivity and
effi ciency. Translated to English,
the fi ve steps are:
Sort
Get rid of unnecessary items in
the workplace.
Set in Order
Focus on what you need to get the
job done, fi nd a place for each item,
and put everything in its proper place.
Shine
Once you’ve cleared out the clutter,
keep the space clean and neat
every day.
Standardize
Now that the place is clean
and orderly, concentrate on
standardizing best practices for
the work performed there.
Sustain
Resist falling back to your old ways.
Keep the good habits going.
everybody5 S
can use
Winter 2010 I www. forsythtech. edu I 9
Cover Story
need for people to search out the data that would
lead to good decisions and right actions, Jennifer
Coulombe designed a course that melded
elements of DDI training with elements of Six
Sigma Green Belt training.
“ It’s all about changing the culture. You’ve
got to set the direction and give people the tools,”
Mr. Lodics said.
The Forsyth Tech trainers get rave reviews for
their delivery. They understand how adults learn,
and they keep the classes lively and interactive.
“ The classes are not ‘ sit and git,’ ” Tammy said.
“ People are engaged in challenging conversations
and practicing new behaviors, real- life stuff.”
{ before}
{ after}
After employees received Lean
training, this lock assembly area
at Kaba Access was organized
for safety and effi ciency. The raw
components are now arranged in
the sequence they will be used.
The space was reduced by 50
percent, which not only creates
less operator fatigue, but enables
the company to bring more prod-ucts
in- house without spending
more on bricks and mortar.
10 I www. forsythtech. edu I Winter 2010
Cover Story
Dell’s decision to locate a manufactur-ing
facility in Forsyth County represented a
kind of stretch assignment for Forsyth Tech’s
corporate training group. Before the plant was
even built, Forsyth Tech provided space for
interviewing, orienting and training prospective
employees, and trained hundreds of people on
computer skills, Lean Manufacturing principles,
safety and other subjects.
Sue Marion was new to her position
as head of Corporate and Continuing Educa-tion,
and she was determined to provide Dell
the highest level of customer service. She
succeeded so well that Dell continued to rely
on Forsyth Tech for all its training needs the
whole time it was here, though the company
employed internal trainers in its other locations.
Forsyth Tech trained 1,150 full- time people
for Dell.
The announcement in 2009 that the plant
would close was devastating to many, not
least Forsyth Tech. The college sent a rapid-response
team to the plant and held
two standing- room- only sessions in the
company cafeteria. The next week Forsyth
Tech sent six instructors to the plant to help
employees prepare their resumes. They were
there for a week.
To see those people lose their jobs was
heartbreaking for Sue Marion, yet she feels
they are better off than they might have been.
“ With what we were able to do for
Dell, all those individuals have received
extensive training, and those skills are all
transferable,” she said.
And the challenge of training all the
employees for a start- up operation, in a rapidly
changing environment, has a lasting impact
on Forsyth Tech, too. Like so many stretch as-signments,
it expanded the corporate training
group’s capabilities, so that now Sue Marion
can say with confi dence, “ We are prepared for
whatever a company needs.”
an
inDELLable
impression
Employers say that people today see on- the- job
training as a perk, an investment in their profes-sional
development and their ongoing employability.
Virtually all the skills taught are not only transferable
to other jobs but useful in any human interactions,
including communications within the family.
The Forsyth Tech team also gets kudos for how
well it looks out for client organizations.
“ Tom Jaynes made us aware that we were
eligible for grant funding from the state,” said
Paige Green at Liberty Hardware. “ I didn’t even
know about it. It’s a program for new and expand-ing
industries. We received $ 72,000 from the state for
training our hourly workforce. With this grant, we’ll
be training more than 300 people over the course of
2009, 2010 and into 2011.”
The good news for many local companies is that,
even in a prolonged recession, North Carolina has
not reduced its commitment to the development of
a 21st century workforce. And the corporate training
people at Forsyth Tech are ready, willing and positively
passionate about developing talent and skills for
organizations large and small, for businesses and
non- profi t agencies.
Sue Marion’s Vision
High- Quality Training,
with Heart
In virtually any organization, the
tone is set at the top. In Forsyth Tech’s
Division of Corporate and Continuing
Education, that would be Sue Marion.
Workforce development is her passion,
her mission and her life’s work.
She has worked in North Carolina’s
community college system for more than
33 years, her entire career. She began
working at Forsyth Tech 17 years ago,
as director of its Small Business Center.
In 2004, she was promoted to vice
A A b Couvte president of Corporate and Continuing
Education, a cabinet- level position.
Now, more than 60 percent of the
division’s work is corporate and business
training. A focus on customized training
has been her initiative, and she built the
team that can sell and deliver this highly
fl exible and responsive training.
Perhaps what drives her is a close
association with all the kinds of people
who need new skills – those who have
been laid off, those who aren’t prepared
for the jobs they have, those who need
retraining after long careers in jobs that
have moved offshore. No ivory tower
academic, she is constantly out in the
community, forming and nurturing
partnerships with all the agencies in
the community that touch on workforce
development.
“ It’s all about taking the programs
to the people,” she said.
And her understanding of the
transformative power of education can
be gleaned from her favorite quotation,
from Henry Miller: “ One’s destination is
never a place, but rather a new way of
looking at things.”
Winter 2010 I www. forsythtech. edu I 11
An Interview with
Anu Williams, Instructor
in Public Speaking
attention...
Now that I
have your
Take It From Tech
12 I www. forsythtech. edu I Winter 2010 Winter 2010 I www. forsythtech. edu I 13
Take It From Tech Take It From Tech
Don’t Faint!
If your pulse races and your voice breaks when you stand up to
speak, there are plenty of things you can do to calm down. Anu
Williams recommends that you:
> Walk to the lectern confi dently, with good posture.
> Take your time.
> Take shallow breaths.
> Sweep the room with your eyes.
> Hold each person’s gaze for at least a couple of seconds.
> Smile back if somebody smiles at you.
> Use a conversational tone.
> Take your time.
> Pause frequently and look around, and
> Don’t memorize your talk. Use index cards to remind
yourself of content you want to communicate. And put
physical prompts in the margins of your cards: Breathe,
Pause, Change Tone for Emphasis, Look Up, Smile!
#!@%*#!@%*#!@%*#!@%*#!@%*
#!@%*#!@%*#!@%*#!@%*#!@%*
#!@%* #!@%* #!@%* #!@%* #!@%* #!@%*
#!@%* #!@%* #!@%* #!@%* #!@%* #!@%*
Even the
Best Speakers
Sometimes
Make Mistakes
!@%*#!@%*#!@%*#!@%
Oops!
Besides being a practical necessity for many adults, Public Speaking is a core elective that fi lls the communications requirement
for most degree programs at Forsyth Tech. Anu Williams is one of three full- time and fi ve adjunct instructors who teaches the
course. A native of Singapore, Anu and her family came to the U. S. in 2001 after living in Singapore for many years. She taught
at a business school there, and has been an adjunct instructor in the
community college system for several years as well as teaching at a
Montessori school in Winston- Salem. This is Anu’s fi rst year as a
full- time instructor at Forsyth Tech.
Anu, we’ve all heard that public speaking ranks above even death in what
people are afraid of. Do many of your students start out terrifi ed of taking
the fl oor?
It’s about half and half. But even those who are not fearful still need to
learn speaking skills.
What is it that makes people so afraid of standing up and speaking?
They don’t want to make fools of themselves. They’re afraid they will
say something wrong and be embarrassed. A lot of the fear comes
from not knowing how the audience will react.
That makes sense.
Yes, the students are all nervous when they give their fi rst speech to
their classmates. As they become familiar with their classmates, they
lose that fear. I feel something like that too, the fi rst time I go into a
new class, when we are sizing each other up. And you don’t want to
lose your fear completely.
Why is that?
You need that adrenaline. I compare it to being a sprinter. Before you
start, you’re very aware of the crowd yelling and cheering you on. After
the gun goes off, you don’t hear anything. You’re just focused on the
fi nish line. You get into a state of fl ow, but only if you practice. Then it
just comes. The same is true of public speaking.
So in your courses students get plenty of practice?
They give six or seven speeches during the semester. Early in the
course they are also learning about the psychological aspects of
speech, both internal and external. They need to know that people hear
things differently depending on their own biases. They may come
in with their minds already made up, and you can see that in their
nonverbal reactions.
I can picture those audiences with their arms folded across their
chests, and a grim expression on their faces...
That can throw speakers off. We teach how to reach audiences,
and how not to take it personally if you don’t reach everybody.
How do you get an audience involved?
Going in prepared helps. You need to know who the audience is.
You need to be able to think on your feet, which is easier if you
know your subject very well. Being prepared is half the battle.
You mentioned knowing your material well. Do students
choose their own topics for speeches?
Yes. That helps bring out their passion. I have learned from my
students how to hunt and quarter a deer, how to change a tire,
how to fi t a bra, and how to prepare lots and lots of recipes.
There are obviously many types of occasions when public speaking is
called for. Do you teach the skills needed for different purposes?
Defi nitely. Students do a dramatic reading of a poem or storybook
or prose passage of their choice, to learn about expression. And
they do a speech for an event like a wedding or reunion or a eulogy
at a funeral, the kind of speech where some creativity is called
for. One student had his 5- year- old daughter in mind when he
composed a speech he wanted to deliver at her wedding.
Almost everybody is called on to make a few remarks on such
occasions. What comes next?
After learning about delivery in the fi rst few speeches, we turn to
informative speech and persuasive speech, where research and
supportive materials are needed and a logical sequence must be
followed. These speeches need an introduction that gets people’s
attention, the main points, and then a conclusion, which might be
a call to action. The fi nal speech is a symposium. Students work in
groups of four or fi ve, and learn to divide up responsibilities. They
operate as a panel, and take questions from the class.
Sounds like anybody can really benefi t from learning to make a
speech.
Yes, students say that it helps them become more confi dent. Most
of them work, and this class helps them run a staff meeting or ask
their boss for a raise. If you have all your facts and it comes out
organized, you have a better chance of getting the outcome you
want. If you have good speaking skills, people listen to you.
Presidents and vice presidents make speeches every day, so
you’d think they’d be pretty good public speakers. Well, even
with all that practice, they still make mistakes. Here are fi ve
classics from the last few decades.
“ We’re the party of a great leader of compassion – Lyndon Baines
Johnson, and the party of a great man who should have been
President, who would have been one of the greatest Presidents in
history – Hubert Horatio Hornblower… er, Humphrey.” – President
Jimmy Carter
“ We’re trying to get unemployment to go up, and I think we’re
going to succeed.” – President Ronald Reagan
“ One word sums up probably the responsibility of any vice president,
and that one word is ‘ to be prepared.’ ” – Vice President Dan Quayle
“ A zebra doesn’t change its spots.” – Vice President Al Gore
“ Rarely is the question asked, ‘ Is our children learning?’ ”
– President George W. Bush
14 I www. forsythtech. edu I Winter 2010 Winter 2010 I www. forsythtech. edu I 15
Alumni Spotlight
Jane Morgan Smith with
her truffl e hunters,
Friday and Dazy.
Alumni Spotlight
K eep Your Fork is the name of the truffl e farm
that Jane Morgan Smith and her husband, Rick,
own. It could also be the title of her life story.
Jane was born and raised in High Point and spent
most of her career in offi ce work. As she and her husband
started thinking about their eventual retirement, they
decided they wanted to provide for a good second income
by 2004. So in 1992 they bought some land in King
and planned to grow shiitake mushrooms and perhaps
other crops.
Then fate intervened, and Jane had retirement
thrust on her several years ahead of plan. She was one of
many who were offered an early out when Wachovia was
merged into First Union.
“ I decided to make a complete change,” she said.
“ I took my severance package and enrolled in the
massage therapy program at Forsyth Tech. I loved it.”
Jane was in the fi rst therapeutic massage program
at Forsyth Tech that led to a diploma. Earlier classes
had been part of the Continuing Education division.
“ The program was in transition, and I was
in transition,” she said. After graduating, she set up
her own therapeutic massage practice, Art of Healing.
Meanwhile, back at the farm, the Smiths were
introduced to another mushroom farmer, Franklin
Garland of Hillsborough. He was getting out of the
mushroom business and getting into truffl es, a crop
that was then almost unknown in North Carolina. The
Smiths were intrigued, and planted their fi rst fi lbert trees
in 2000, knowing that no truffl es would be growing
among their roots for several years.
“ You’re at the mercy of nature,” Jane said. Even
now, she estimates that only 10 percent of the more than
100 trees they fi rst planted have produced truffl es.
She recently heard a major league Spanish truffl e
farmer speak, who said that he had a 37- year- old tree
that had just produced truffl es for the fi rst time. “ That’s
the kind of mystery we’re dealing with,” she said.
After planting that fi rst orchard, the Smiths bought
adjacent land for another orchard, and now have nine
acres, the smallest farm on the tax records of Stokes County.
And the Smiths are no longer such a rare breed – now there
are more than 100 truffl e farms in North Carolina, thanks
mostly to the efforts of Franklin Garland. The industry is
progressing in much the same way that North Carolina’s
wine industry has developed.
“ I decided I would end up with whichever needed
me most, the massage practice or the farm,” Jane said.
The farm won, and she phased out the last of her massage
clients in 2009.
The truffl e business engages a lot of her energy, though
not in the sense of toil and sweat. She can’t imagine herself
milking cows or gathering eggs, and she never dreamed
that she would have any connection to agriculture. But
growing truffl es is not particularly labor intensive. There’s
orchard maintenance three seasons of the year, and the
winter harvest.
This farmer could be compared to Johnny Appleseed,
spreading the word about how to grow and enjoy a crop
that is new to this region. Jane makes presentations to
garden clubs, gives advice to new truffl e farmers, and
serves as the president of the North American Truffl e Growers
Association. She was involved in planning the fi rst National
Truffl e Fest, which was held last March in Asheville. And
a particularly exciting opportunity to educate Americans
about truffl e growing came in January 2007 when
Martha Stewart came to the farm. The show in which
Jane, her truffl e dog Friday and Martha Stewart walked
Keep Your Fork Farm’s orchards was broadcast nationally
a few weeks later.
Keep Your Fork –
The Best Is Yet to Come!
Who Knew that Retirement Would Bring a World of Truffl es?
16 I www. forsythtech. edu I Winter 2010 Winter 2010 I www. forsythtech. edu I 17
Alumni Spotlight Alumni Spotlight
“ We’ve learned so much we can share with
other people, “ Jane said. “ I’m always answering
questions and networking with other farmers.”
Long ago, before she had any offi ce skills,
before she learned massage therapy, before she
knew the fi rst thing about fungi, Jane imagined
that she would one day be a teacher. And as
mysteriously as a truffl e developing below the
ground, the pattern has emerged.
“ That’s really what I am now; I’m a
teacher,” Jane said.
Never Fear,
Friday Is on the Case
The farm motto – the best
is yet to come – holds true.
Beginning to harvest the
rewards feels good to Jane,
like a long- held dream fi nally
coming to fruition.
Friday ( left) took to truffl e
hunting like a duck to water.
Dazy ( below) is still learning.
Pigs were the original truffl e hunters. They
sniffed out the tasty fungi in order to eat them.
Today, truffl e growers all over the world rely on
obedient dogs rather than hungry hogs. To know
if there are truffl es ready to be harvested, Jane
depends on a border collie she trained.
“ I took little pieces of truffl e and wrapped
them and hid them in the house. I’d give Friday
( named for another detective, Sgt. Joe Friday of
the old “ Dragnet” series) the scent, and say ‘ Find
Mama nut- nut,’ ” she said. “ Then I started hiding
pieces of truffl e wrapped in foil outside. I also took
a length of PVC pipe and punched holes in it and
put truffl es in it. I closed off both ends so he could
use it as a toy. Friday got really good, really fast.”
Friday loves to work and has a strong work
ethic, Jane said, but the young dog she is training,
Dazy, is not quite as focused.
“ Friday’s reward is play. Dazy’s is
treats,” she said. “ The intention is
for Dazy to become a
truffl e dog.”
Jane Morgan Smith’s association with, and affection for, Forsyth Tech
began when she enrolled in the therapeutic massage program. Later she
worked part time with Project Skill- UP, a Forsyth Tech workforce training
program in Walnut Cove. The productive relationship with her alma mater
continues today. Jane is assistant director for StokesCORE, a non- profi t
organization that was founded as a response to the declining tobacco
industry, plant closings, job cuts and corporate downsizings, which have
had a severe impact on the county. Forsyth Tech is one of the partners
in the organization, along with Workforce Development, Sertoma 4- H
Educational Center and NC Cooperative Extension.
Jane works from an offi ce at Camp Sertoma, and from her home offi ce,
and the staff meets at coffee shops and restaurants. This kind of fl uidity
is mostly welcome to Jane.
“ At Wachovia, I had my desk and everything organized at my desk,” she
said. “ StokesCORE is more entrepreneurial. You’re not always in the same
place with the same people.”
Her Day Job Is Fun, Too
Black Diamonds
Keep Your Fork Farm is the only farm in
Stokes County that has harvested the Black
Périgord Truffl e, named for the Périgord region
in France. The Smiths use the price the French
set on this rare delicacy – $ 800 per pound, or
$ 50 per ounce.
Prized by the ancient Romans as an aph-rodisiac,
truffl es have no particular nutritional
value. What creates the high demand for them
today is a taste like no other.
“ I had never tasted a truffl e until I met the
Garlands,” Jane said. “ I liked them immediately.
They’re a little mushroomy, but completely
unique.”
Truffl es are so wildly expensive that restau-rant
chefs buy them by the ounce. Fortunately,
a little goes a long way, and bits of truffl e can be
used to give a rich and delicious taste to pasta or
omelets or other dishes.
These fungi grow from spores that attach
to the roots of a few varieties of trees. The roots
of seedling trees are actually dipped in the spores.
Truffl es will only grow in soil that has a very
high pH and is regularly irrigated. Even when all
the conditions are right, the yield can be small.
Jane sells some of the truffl es to individuals
and some to area restaurants. She also makes
truffl e butter, which is sold at Reynolda Farm
Market and the Briar Patch. “ We like it on warm
bread,” Jane said.
Even as more people become acquainted
with the luxurious taste of a truffl e and more
North Carolinians cultivate them, Jane said
truffl es are so elusive that the demand will
always exceed the supply.
“ The supply has dwindled, worldwide, from
thousands of tons to hundreds of tons. Even in
France, where they used to grow naturally, they
have to be cultivated. This is going to be a
lucrative market for a long, long time.”
Find out more about the care and fi nding
of truffl es – www. keepyourforkfarm. com
A little taste of truffl e goes a
long way. This jar of truffl e
butter will fl avor enough
pasta for four people.
Who Works Here
18 I www. forsythtech. edu I Fall 2009
A
apart and put things back together. It’s a
wonderland for me. What I feel when I hear a
powerful engine start up could only be described
as swooning.”
Christine decided to join the program after
a birthday gift reignited a passion for cars. “ My
husband sent me away to learn performance
driving,” she says. “ I’ve always loved cars and
engines. I worked on cars with my father when I
was a kid and had always missed it.” After attending
the school, she thought it would be fun to have
“ a souped- up car of my own to take up to VIR
( Virginia International Raceway) or just to play
with in the front yard with my sons like my father
did with me.” But she realized she didn’t have the
basic knowledge she needed. “ I couldn’t maintain
a car like that,” she says.
That’s when Fate stepped in. “ My kids brought
in the mail one day and – this sounds like magical
realism, I know, but – they threw the mail across
the table and it all fell off except the Forsyth Tech
fl yer, and that was open to the page that listed
Race Car Technology. I thought, ‘ Oh, my gosh,
I could learn to do that,’ and I called them up
the same day.”
And this isn’t the fi rst time Christine has
been a Forsyth Tech student. “ I started at Forsyth
Tech a million and a half years ago and took
some college transfer credits,” she recalls. She
ultimately went on to NC State and graduated
Magna Cum Laude in Public Relations and
Communications.
What will she do with her new degree in
Race Car Technology? She’s not sure yet. “ I love
being there so much, why wouldn’t I go on and
look for a job afterwards?” she asks, but also says
that “ if I just end up hanging out in the garage
and teaching my kids how to use a ratchet, I’ll be
happy with that, too.”
s a kid in Massachusetts,
Greg Chase decided he
wanted to see the world.
“ I had itchy feet,” he says,
and over the next 40 years,
those itchy feet took him
on an amazing journey.
It began at 18, when he went to Tulane
University in New Orleans. Unfortunately, he was
only there a year and half. He says a combination
of things did him in – a heavy academic load,
working 30 hours a week and, he admits candidly,
the temptation to party. “ It was New Orleans, and
the drinking age was 18,” he says simply.
After his career at Tulane came to an end,
Greg moved on to Nicholls State College in nearby
Thibodaux, Louisiana. Originally a two- year
school, much like Forsyth Tech, by the time Greg
arrived, it was a four- year college. At Nicholls State,
a lot of good people helped Greg get serious about
his studies. He earned a BS in Marine Biology and
credits the school with getting him back on track.
“ Nicholls State College saved me from myself,” he
says, “ and I got a really good education.”
It also got him started on the next part of his
journey. “ I went through two years of Air Force
ROTC while I was there. I went into the Air Force,
got trained as a pilot and spent 27 years fl ying
C- 130s.”
Greg’s Air Force career let him see the world.
He spent three years in Southeast Asia, logging
more than 200 combat hours. He fl ew a C- 12
King Air as a security assistance offi cer for the
U. S. Embassy in Zaire ( Congo) for two years. He
spent three years in Paris as Director of Air Force
Affairs at the U. S. Embassy, which was his ( and
his wife’s) favorite assignment. And between his
overseas postings, he served on Air Force bases in
several states, including North Carolina.
Those years in North Carolina led him to
move to Winston- Salem when he retired from the
Air Force. At that point he gave up fl ying to pursue
his other career – personnel management.
That career also began in the Air Force.
“ I was reassigned to a personnel position when I
got back from Vietnam,” he says, and eventually
he earned an MA in Personnel Management from
Webster University in St. Louis. “ They had an off-campus
site at Pope Air Force Base. It took me two
years of night school. That’s why I have empathy for
the students that come here and go to night school.
I know how hard it is having a full- time job and
doing that.”
Greg’s journey brought him to Forsyth Tech
as Director of Human Resources in 2002. In that
position, he spends his days going over résumés,
doing background checks, writing job descriptions
and fi elding lots of phone calls and emails from the
faculty and staff. But the best part, he says, is watch-ing
people grow. “ When we bring in new people,
they reach a point and all of a sudden, bing, they
just blossom. It’s nice to see that happen.”
In the last 40 years, Greg Chase’s “ itchy feet”
have taken him to New Orleans, Vietnam, Congo,
Paris and many places in between. Now, having
seen the world, he brings a world of experience and
knowledge to Forsyth Tech.
On a Roll
Working on high- performance cars isn’t
Christine’s only passion. She’s also a
writer, genealogist, jewelry maker and
is active in local politics. And last year
she became a member of the Charlotte
Roller Girls, a roller derby team. “ I knew
some people who were getting involved
in roller derby and I said, ‘ That’s for me,’
and I went out there and joined up,” she
says. Unfortunately, after enduring a year
of intense training and a brutal assess-ment
period to earn full membership, she
suffered a career- ending injury before
her fi rst bout. Still, she says she’s glad
she did it. “ The way that it made me
feel was second to nothing else. Like I
could do anything at all.” And while she’s
decided not to get back into competi-tion,
she says she might become a roller
derby referee. We think it’s safe to say
that if that’s what she decides she wants
to do, there’s no doubt she’ll do it.
I n December 2008,
Christine Toole just
happened to see a Forsyth
Tech fl yer. As a result, in
December 2010 she’ll
be the fi rst woman to
graduate from the Richard
Childress Race Technology
program at Forsyth Tech.
She isn’t the typical Race Car Technology
student. She’s a mother of three and has a job
in business administration with a non- profi t
organization. But she’s right at home working
on an engine. “ I love the smell of the shop,” she
says, smiling. “ I’m probably the only human who
thinks the smell of old grease is wonderful. I go
in there, and I get to use the tools and take things
Who Goes Here
Director,
Human Resources
Richard Childress Race Car Technology,
Winter 2010 I www. forsythtech. edu I 19
Class of 2010
In addition to his work as Director of
Human Resources, Greg is also one of
the advisors to the college’s Philosophical
Society, along with Dr. James Fortuna, the
inspiration for the organization, Sylvia Haith,
and Amy Quesenberry. “ It’s based on the
Philosophical Society of America,” he
explains. “ It’s a free speech forum where
students, faculty, staff – whoever – can
come and discuss current topics of the
day.” For him, it’s a venue “ for interacting
with students and seeing how today’s
students think and cooperate together.” As
a former military offi cer, he’s also proud of
the work the group does to help the
homeless in the area, and particularly the
homeless who will not come in out of the
cold. “ There’s a very small number of them,
maybe 15 or 20, but they are very hard- core
homeless, and they are usually ex- military,”
he says. “ We provide sleeping bags and
long johns, warm underwear, gloves and
toboggans throughout the cold months of
the year.” Clearly, this Philosophical Society
isn’t just all talk.
Philosophically
Speaking
JobsNOW Graduation JobsNOW Graduation
Forsyth Tech celebrates North Carolina’s fi rst JobsNOW graduating class
20 I www. forsythtech. edu I Winter 2010 Winter 2010 I www. forsythtech. edu I 21
“ JobsNOW: 12 In 6” is a program launched in April by Gov. Beverly Perdue
to help North Carolinians get entry- level training in occupational areas
that are growing. The initiative created community college programs in
12 career paths, each requiring less than six months to complete. Forsyth
Tech was one of the fi rst community colleges to embrace the program,
putting it on the cover of the fall Corporate & Continuing Education
course listing that was mailed to every home in Forsyth and Stokes
Counties. As a result, more than 800 students enrolled in JobsNOW
courses at Forsyth Tech, more than half of the 1,400 enrolled statewide.
Winston- Salem Mayor Allen Joines urged the graduates to be lifelong learners. “ Statistics
show that people in the workforce today will change jobs seven times,” he said. “ Keep the saw
sharpened.” He also spoke to them about the importance of fi nding a career they love and living
lives of character. He concluded his remarks with an inspiring quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson:
“ Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
On Dec. 10, 2009, the first JobsNOW graduation ceremony in North Carolina was held at Goodwill Industries of Northwest
North Carolina in Winston- Salem. The 84 graduates who participated in the ceremony had taken night classes at Goodwill
in eight different JobsNOW programs, including Electrician Helper, Medical Office Billing, Plumbing Helper, Introduction to
Masonry, Pharmacy Assistant and Nursing Assistant. Approximately 60 percent of the graduates already have jobs.
Forsyth Tech President Dr. Gary Green welcomed
the graduates and their guests and spoke about
the 20- year partnership between Forsyth Tech and
Goodwill, a partnership that continues to expand
to meet the workforce development needs of the
community. Derrick Dease ( center) signed up for
two JobsNOW programs after reading
about JobsNOW in the CCE course
listing. He received certifi cates in both
the Electrician Helper and Plumbing
Helper courses, and wants to pursue a
career in construction. He said he was
very pleased with his JobsNOW experi-ence.
“ We had a great class with real
good instructors. They did a great job.”
Carmen Swink is one of those who found out about JobsNOW
through the CCE course listing. She had been laid off in January
and was unable to fi nd another job, so she decided to take Medical
Offi ce Billing. “ It was wonderful,” she said of the course. “ I really
learned a lot.” Ms. Swink is now volunteering at Forsyth Medical, in
order to get on- the- job experience that will hopefully lead to a job.
James Shaw graduated from the Introduc-tion
to Masonry course, and hopes to use
the skills he learned to complete some
do- it- yourself projects now and possibly
earn some extra money later. “ I have some
projects at home that I want to try and do
on my own,” he said, “ and when I retire this
is something I want to do on the side.” Mr.
Shaw is currently a computer analyst.
Sue Marion, Vice President
of Corporate and Continuing
Education at Forsyth Tech
( left), and Galyn Shivers,
Director of Workforce
Development Services ( right),
awarded certifi cates to the
proud graduates.
Friends and family cheered on the graduates, many
of whom are pursuing new careers, while others are
expanding their skills in order to make themselves more
versatile or more valuable to their current employers.
Goodwill Industries President Art Gibel also congratulated
the graduates, and told them that participating in JobsNOW
training will give them a head start on being qualifi ed for the
jobs that are now available.
22 I www. forsythtech. edu I Winter 2010 Winter 2010 I www. forsythtech. edu I 23
Future Focus Future Focus
Forsyth Tech’s Strategic Direction 2010 creates a shared vision for the work to be done
as the College enters its 50th year. It is based on the best thinking of and collaborative
dialogue among members of the college community and the broader community it
serves, enlightened by comprehensive assessment data. Strategic Direction 2010 will
drive planning, decision making and assessment throughout the College, and commence
a new era of progress and measured achievement for Forsyth Tech.
“ Inviting people from the outside into
the strategic planning process was impres-sive.
I remember coming back and mar-veling
at how really open the session was.
When tough things came out, everybody
was OK with that. People were honest and
helpful. It’s clear that Forsyth Tech has a
real commitment to building community
and to nurturing strong partnerships. I’ve
had a lot of interactions with community
colleges around the country, and I’ve
never seen this kind of camaraderie. It’s an
amazing place, very much connected to
the community.”
– Cheryl Locke, Vice President and Chief Human Resources
Officer, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.
“ I think it was wonderful to involve the
community this way, opening up the good
and the bad so we can all work together. It
allowed us to think about how Goodwill
can strengthen our relationship with
Forsyth Tech, especially with JobsNOW. It
helped me understand the overall picture
better, so that we can collaborate even
more than we do now.”
– Sherry Carpenter, Vice President of
Workforce Development Services, Goodwill Industries.
“ Forsyth Tech is always striving to be better,
always looking to the future. This process
was all about enhancing the service to
students, local businesses and the whole
community. Each strategic initiative aims
to do that, whether it is through student
Engagement, Technology or Communica-tions.
The planning process reiterated what
we all know about the leadership of the
college. Dr. Green and his leadership team
are always striving for the college to be
better today and tomorrow than yesterday.”
– Ann Bennett- Phillips, Forsyth Tech Board of Trustees;
Vice President, Capital Development Services, Inc.
Mission Statement
Forsyth Technical Community College provides students with
exceptional technical education and training as well as college
transfer, adult basic education, and continuing and corporate
education programs to develop a globally competitive workforce.
The college responds to student, employer and community needs
with innovative, exible programs and service delivery.
Strategic Initiatives
Forsyth Tech supports the College’s
mission by focusing on the following
strategic initiatives:
Student Engagement
The College facilitates a culture of caring by
providing effective services, and enhancing
relationships between students and the College
that support student persistence and the
achievement of personal and academic goals.
Communication
Communications between students, faculty,
staff, administration and the community are
clear, consistent, effective and transparent.
Workforce Development
The College develops and promotes innovative
and fl exible programs that respond to
community needs, changing technologies,
economic trends and emerging industries.
Technology
Technology is used to enhance instruction,
facilitate student success and employability,
increase effi ciency and promote personal
interactions.
Resources & Funding
The College empowers employees to seek out
funding sources, uses innovative strategies to
obtain additional resources, and makes
effi cient use of current resources.
We hold high expectations of our students
and are ceaselessly committed to helping them
meet those expectations.
We are a learning organization that supports
formal and informal learning opportunities for
both ourselves and our students.
We recognize the impact of ongoing
technological change on lives and learning and
embrace this change in our College community.
We are committed to being a collaborative
partner in making our community a better
place to live.
We value a work environment characterized
by mutual respect, and demand of ourselves
the highest competence, trust and integrity.
We respect diversity in the college
community – diversity of age, gender, race,
ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation – and
recognize that diversity includes varied learning
styles, cultural and economic differences.
Values
Core
In order to implement
our mission, Forsyth Tech
employees are guided by
the following core values:
Y ou might expect a community college’s strategic planning process to be, well,
a community endeavor. At Forsyth Tech it most emphatically is, beginning with an
invitation for faculty, staff and students to have their say, and culminating with a
two- day facilitated session that included business and community leaders as well as
a cross- section of the college community.
It started with internal soul searching, said Rachel Desmarais, Forsyth Tech’s
Vice President for Information Services. “ What do we do well? What do we not do
so well? What makes it diffi cult to do your job? What do you wish you had that you
don’t have?
“ Everyone who wanted to be included was included,” she said, in a general
survey, and in a series of focus groups. Their ideas and concerns were passed on,
anonymously, to the President’s cabinet, along with input from the Board of
Trustees. Particular themes surfaced over and over – Student Engagement,
Communication, Workforce Development and Technology.
In the two- day planning session, the larger group added another strategic
initiative to those four: Resources and Funding. That initiative is particularly
important in this diffi cult economy, Rachel said. “ How do we meet monetary needs
in a different way? How do we make sure we are good stewards of what we have?”
The strategic initiatives were all tied to the college’s mission statement and
slightly revised core values, and to a set of goals. The next step will come in March,
when tactics for reaching every goal will be set forth.
“ Everything we do in the coming years will be strategic,” Rachel said.
“ We are publishing this multiyear plan internally to make sure we
are moving forward on all the goals, and we’ll be doing a
lot more tracking. We’re prepared to make the
changes we need to make head on.”
An Inclusive Process for Charting the Future
Strategic Direction
All Together Now
The Dual Admission Strategy
to Give Students a Better Shot at Success
Dr. Donald J. Reaves, Chancellor of Winston- Salem State University, and Dr. Gary M. Green, President of Forsyth Tech,
give each other credit for a breakthrough idea.
“ Donald set developing a dual admission program as one of his goals in his inaugural address. We’ve been working on
this ever since he arrived in Winston- Salem,” said Dr. Green.
“ This was Gary’s idea,” said Dr. Reaves. “ Ever since I arrived in Winston- Salem, Gary consistently asks what he can do to help us.”
However the idea originated, the indisputable truth is that both leaders are determined to improve student success, as defi ned
by retention and graduation rates. The Dual Admission Program, which will be implemented next fall, provides for students
to be admitted to both institutions simultaneously. Aimed at improving student success, it addresses a national problem: the
fact that more and more students are admitted to college underprepared for college work.
At Winston- Salem State, Dr. Reaves noted, there is a growing gap between students who might well be accepted at Harvard
or Howard, and those who can’t do simple fractions. The reasons are complex, he said, but the result is that many students who
have no real chance of succeeding are admitted to college, only to drop out, disillusioned and with their self- confi dence destroyed.
Two years at a community college may be the answer for some. As Dr. Green said, “ Universities may not be well- equipped
to help underprepared students, but community colleges have that as a consistent part of our mission. We have small classes,
taught by instructors who are trained and committed to helping academically weak students succeed. We offer developmental
courses that bring students up to speed on basic skills, and we have a number of mentoring and counseling services.”
One of the advantages of dual admission is that a student who meets all the requirements for an associate’s degree will be
assured a place at Winston- Salem State. Too often, Dr. Reaves said, students run into a lot of red tape when they try to transfer
their college credits to a university. And these students will already have a relationship with the university when they arrive.
From the time they start their college career at Forsyth Tech, they’ll have access to activities and resources at Winston- Salem
State, such as the library and some social events.
When the admission process starts this spring, Winston- Salem State will be looking hard at students that it can’t admit,
but who might be very good candidates with preparation at Forsyth Tech. And Forsyth Tech will be looking at its entering
students, to identify those who might want to transfer to Winston- Salem State for their bachelor’s degree studies. One area
of emphasis will be minority males, who are dropping out of universities at higher rates than other groups, and attending
universities at lower rates.
“ Rather than having these students fail, we will be putting them in an environment where they can learn and build
confi dence,” said Dr. Reaves.
The fi rst year will be a pilot, involving about 25 students. And it might well be a pilot for the University of North Caro-lina
and the state’s community college system. While transfer agreements are in place, the Dual Admission Program takes
partnership between the two systems to a deeper level. As Dr. Green said, “ It’s a win- win- win, for the students, the community
college and the university.”
PRESIDENT GREEN
CHANCELLOR
REAVES
24 I www. forsythtech. edu I Winter 2010
The Foundation
Your Gift Creates a Strong College and a Strong Community How You Can
Support Forsyth Tech
Choose your level of support:
Give online: Use your credit card to make a secure donation
at www. forsythtech. edu/ support/ giving- to- forsyth- tech.
Send a check: Make your check payable to Forsyth Tech Foundation. Mail to The
Foundation of Forsyth Tech, 2100 Silas Creek Parkway, Winston- Salem, NC 27103- 5197.
Get more information: Learn about gifts you can make in honor of or in memory
of individuals, matching gifts, charitable trusts and bequests, and gifts of stocks and
property. Call Dr. Sharon B. Covitz, Executive Director, The Foundation of Forsyth Tech,
336.734.7520 or email scovitz@ forsythtech. edu.
Forsyth Technical Community College serves more than 50,000 students
annually in degree, diploma and certifi cate programs, and continuing education
courses. To make educational opportunities widely available, and to meet the
needs for a well- educated, skilled workforce, Forsyth Tech depends on private
contributions from people like you.
The Foundation of Forsyth Tech, a nonprofi t organization, is the fundraising arm
of the College. Your gift to Forsyth Tech through the Foundation will support:
> Scholarships for deserving students
> Technology for classrooms, labs and shops
> Professional development grants for faculty and sta
President’s Club $ 10,000 and up
Pinnacle Club $ 5,000 - $ 9,999
Pacesetter’s Club $ 1,000 - $ 4,999
Directors $ 500 - $ 999
Leaders $ 250 - $ 499
Champions $ 100 - $ 249
Friends Up to $ 99
Before she joined the Forsyth Tech Foundation board, Beverly Hubbard
Godfrey had no idea how responsive the college is to community needs.
“ I knew about the specialized services Forsyth Tech provided to Dell, but
I didn’t know that these services are available to just about any business in
Forsyth County. I didn’t know how fl exible the college is,” she said.
In the past year, Ms. Godfrey learned exactly how responsive Forsyth Tech
can be. For the fi rst time, her company, Coldwell Banker Triad Realtors, had to lay
off employees, and she, as president and CEO, had to break the news, a terribly dis-tressing
responsibility. The company wasn’t in a position to hire an outplacement
fi rm, so Ms. Godfrey asked Dr. Shari Covitz, Executive Director of the Foundation,
if there was any way Forsyth Tech could help those employees. Sue Marion, Vice
President of the Division of Corporate and Continuing Education, called her the
same day. The next week a team from Forsyth Tech arrived and met individually
with all employees who were losing their jobs.
“ They told them about all the programs and classes and support that were
available, and almost everything they offered was at no charge to the employees.
It was a godsend,” Ms. Godfrey said. “ I had people who had been laid off come
back and thank me.”
Ms. Godfrey has been impressed with how Forsyth Tech has gone the extra mile
in this recession to accommodate the thousands more people who have come for
training and support, even as the budget has been cut. And she has been highly
impressed with the scope and sophistication of program offerings.
“ People really don’t know the amazing quality of education we have here,”
she said, mentioning the cutting- edge courses in green building, the use of Second
Life technology in online course offerings, and the selection of Forsyth Tech by the
national Manufacturing Institute to develop a new certifi cation process with a grant
from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as just a few of many distinctions.
“ Every business in our community benefi ts from Forsyth Tech one way or an-other,
whether they know it or not,” she said. “ Every business should make Forsyth
Tech a benefi ciary of their annual giving because the college needs private support
to be the outstanding institution that it is.”
Why I Support Forsyth Tech Godfrey Beverly
Hubbard
Winter 2010 I www. forsythtech. edu I 25

How Cool Is That? The Grady P. Swisher Center in Kernersville dons a white coat with the fi rst snow of the season. The Center is home to Forsyth Tech programs
in International Business, Global Logistics and Therapeutic Massage, as well as arts and science courses.
2100 Silas Creek Parkway
Winston- Salem, NC 27103- 5197
46,000 copies of this document were printed at a cost of $ 0.43 per copy.
Non Pro t
Organization
US POSTAGE
PAID
Greensboro, NC
Permit # 1068
Focus On Forsyth Tech Taking
Corporate Training
Up A Notch
Winter 2010 I www. forsythtech. edu I 1
Forsyth Tech welcomes diversity and is dedicated to meeting the needs of students with disabilities,
as mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act. For more information, please contact
Sarah Hawks, Coordinator, Disabilities Services Offi ce, at 336.734.7155 or shawks@ forsythtech. edu.
Forsyth Tech is proud to be part of the North Carolina Community College
System, with 58 institutions serving more than 800,000 students annually.
North Carolina Community Colleges are creating success in our state by:
• Off ering hope for a better future through vocational training and education
• Providing opportunity by making higher education available to all citizens
• Generating jobs by creating a skilled workforce for business and industry
As the spring semester gets under way, Forsyth Tech has tallied a
20 percent increase in enrollment in credit programs over the spring
term last year. We have a record 9,571 students in degree, diploma
and certifi cate programs of study. The fact is, every semester brings
growth – in the number of students served, in the number of
programs and courses offered, in the number of locations in which
classes are taught.
While we are responding to more need in the community for
appropriately skilled workers and more individuals who must have
higher education and up- to- the- minute skill sets, we also must use
our limited resources more wisely and carefully than ever. We are
starting the new decade with a new strategic plan, the product of
many months of work and the input of faculty, staff, students and
many business and community leaders.
How we arrived at a set of strategic initiatives and how our progress
on those initiatives will be implemented, tracked and measured has
considerable import for our two- county region. Summarized in this
issue, Strategic Direction 2010, provides a glimpse of the road ahead.
Way to Grow
Contents
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4
11
14
18
19
20
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24
25
From the President I Taking Care of Business
Something that makes working
for Forsyth Tech dynamic and
rewarding is our close relation-ship
with local businesses. These
businesses are quite literally one of
our reasons for being. Making sure
that the workforce is as productive
as possible is part of the mission of
a community college.
One form this relationship takes is customized corporate
training. I’m extremely proud of the highly responsive
training our Corporate and Continuing Education division
provides to organizations large and small, under the able
leadership of Sue Marion. Whether it’s leadership develop-ment,
computer skills or Lean Manufacturing and service
training, our team consistently delivers learning experiences
that get high marks for quality, affordability and bottom- line
impact. As our Cover Story chronicles, once businesses or
non- profi t agencies get a taste of our on- site education, they
typically become regular clients, relying on Forsyth Tech for
most or all of their workforce development needs.
In a more general way, our curriculum courses are also
shaped by the needs of employers. When a new career- oriented
program is under consideration, our fi rst step is to conduct
research to determine whether businesses here would employ
people with that particular knowledge and set of skills. If the
program idea passes that test, our next step is to establish a
community advisory committee that is closely involved in the
design of all aspects of these degree, diploma and certifi cation
programs. Our goals are to prepare students to hit the ground
running in their chosen careers and to deliver to employers
the skilled people they must have.
Since serving the business community is one of our funda-mentals,
it is only appropriate that we involve business leaders
in the earliest planning stages of our college- wide initiatives.
Not long ago many of these leaders joined us for a two- day
planning retreat that resulted in Strategic Direction 2010,
a multiyear strategic plan for Forsyth Tech. You can read a
summary of what that group of staff, faculty and community
leaders produced on page 22.
A core value articulated in that process is a commitment to
being a collaborative partner in making our community a
better place to live. One of the best ways we can honor that
commitment is to help our local organizations operate effi -
ciently, effectively, fl exibly and competitively, through training
and development of their people.
Dr. Gary M. Green
{ The Honor Roll
{ Cover Story
{ Take It From Tech
{ Alumni Spotlight
{ Who Works Here
{ Who Goes Here
{ JobsNOW Graduation
{ Strategic Direction 2010
{ Working with WSSU
{ Why I Support Forsyth Tech
Be the Bridge to a Bright Future
An Open Letter from Thomas Ingram
President, Forsyth Tech Foundation Board
People are often surprised to learn that I grew up in the slums of Newark, New Jersey.
Teenage gangs were prevalent, and it was a tough and dangerous environment. I was able
to climb out of it, but many were not so fortunate.
What made the difference for me were mentors and role models, people I met at
the Boys Club and the Boy Scouts and the local arts center. I learned from them, and they
were my bridge to education, opportunity, and the satisfying professional and personal life I enjoy now.
People are also surprised at how little it takes to provide access to a world of opportunity for a motivated Forsyth
Tech student. Yes, the costs of attending Forsyth Tech are modest, but they are beyond the means of many who want
to study here, whether they are recent high school graduates or employed people who are struggling to support a
family while going to school. It’s nothing short of tragic that many people are forced to drop out because of an
inability to pay the tuition.
Providing scholarships is a primary purpose of the Forsyth Tech Foundation. The dollars you donate to help a
student attend this college and complete the requirements for a degree or diploma make more of a difference than
you can imagine. And not the least of that is the wonderful mentors and role models students encounter here in
caring instructors and staff members.
As a member of the Foundation board, I have been privileged to see the whole range of opportunities that
Forsyth Tech opens up for our community. I think of the large- scale collaborations fostered – like that between our
region’s two big medical centers that resulted in the construction of Bob Greene Hall and its new addition, where
so many hundreds of nurses and healthcare workers are trained. I think of exciting recent degree programs, like
Biotechnology and Nanotechnology, which are making our community a desirable place for leading- edge companies
to locate. I think of the satellite campuses being created that serve students for whom transportation is a clear obstacle.
Gifts to the Foundation play a part in getting innovations up and running, just as they contribute to getting
individuals up and running in good jobs and productive careers. Today, given the state of the economy, we all need
what Forsyth Tech does for our people and our community more than ever.
I encourage you to put your charitable dollars to work where they will work hardest for a bright future. You can
use the envelope bound into this magazine or make an online donation at www. forsythtech. edu.
Thomas E. Ingram
2 I www. forsythtech. edu I Winter 2010 Winter 2010 I www. forsythtech. edu I 3
The Honor Roll The Honor Roll
Got Talent!
Ricky Rickert and Michael Willard performed
Old Time Rock n’ Roll at “ Forsyth Tech’s Got
Talent,” the school’s fi rst ( and probably not last)
talent show. Held Nov. 12 in Ardmore Auditorium,
the show featured 27 different performers
( including faculty members Dr. Delores Wylie
and Dr. Kevin Conley) who entertained more than
180 audience members with top- notch music,
dance and comedy.
A Touch
of Compassion
Keana Walker, a second- year Forsyth Tech
Therapeutic Massage associate degree student,
was recently named the North Carolina Coopera-tive
Education Association’s William D. Weston
Co- op Student of the Year. The award recog-nizes
individuals who demonstrate outstanding
achievements and contributions during their
cooperative education experience. For her co- op
experience, Keana took the initiative to approach
Hospice of the Piedmont. There she started a new
complementary massage therapy program, using
the therapeutic massage techniques she learned
at Forsyth Tech to bring comfort to hospice
patients and much needed stress relief to family
members and staff. Even more remarkably, Keana
is blind, having lost her sight to cone dystrophy
several years ago. Keana is shown above ( on left,
in blue) with Linda Moorer, chair of the Awards
Committee for the North Carolina Cooperative
Education Association, on the day of the Associa-tion’s
awards luncheon.
Most Influential
The Business Journal recently named
Forsyth Tech President Dr. Gary Green one of
the Triad’s Most Infl uential People. The magazine
cited Dr. Green as being the leader of an institu-tion
that “ is quickly and proactively helping laid
off workers retrain
and fi nd new
careers in this
recession.” They
also noted the
school’s recent
growth in enroll-ment
and the
manufacturing
skills certifi cation
pilot program the
school has implemented through the National
Association of Manufacturing in announcing his
placement on the list.
A Winning web site
The National Council of Marketing and
Public Relations ( NCMPR) District 2 Medallion
Awards recognize outstanding achievement in
communications at community and technical
colleges, and the 2009 winners were recently
announced. Forsyth Tech was well represented,
with the new and improved ForsythTech. edu
taking home the Gold award in the Web Site
category. A brochure created for the Forsyth Tech
Foundation received a Silver award, as did last
year’s Education Bond Referendum multimedia
campaign. Finally, Tech Quarterly received a
Bronze award in the Magazine category. The
NCMPR has members from more than 650
colleges nationally, with District 2 comprised
of those members from Alabama, Florida,
Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi,
North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee,
Virginia, West
Virginia, the
Bahamas
and Bermuda.
Lending
a Hand
“ Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” came
to Lexington recently to build a new home
for a local family. A number of local residents
volunteered to help with the project, and one of
them was Forsyth Tech’s own Dr. Kristin Redfi eld,
Instructor, English and Humanities. Kristin
delivered more than $ 3,000 worth of books
donated to the family by Usborne Books and local
author Dr. Gary Chapman, and also helped with
moving items into the new home. Kristin said the
experience left her with a “ warm feeling” and
was something she would gladly do again. The
episode of “ Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”
fi lmed in Lexington can be viewed online at abc.
go. com/ shows/ extreme- makeover- home- edition.
Respiratory Therapy
Reaches Rarefied Air
This past summer the Forsyth Tech Respira-tory
Therapy program was one of 10 programs
in the United States ( out of approximately 400)
to receive the 2009 CoARC Award for Excellence
in Education from the American Association of
Respiratory Care. The award was only given to
programs with 90 percent or higher Registered
Respiratory Therapist credentialing success for
the most recent three- year graduating years, and
also met or exceeded established attrition and job
placement thresholds. Forsyth Tech’s program
was the only one in the state of North Carolina
to receive the award.
Growing By Degrees
Forsyth Tech will be adding three new
curriculum programs in the fall of 2010, each
offering an Associate of Applied Science degree.
The curriculum model for one of the programs,
Business Administration/ Import Export
Compliance, was developed at and is being
introduced to the community college system
through Forsyth Tech. Bernie Yevin, Dean,
Business and Information Technologies Division,
says the program offers entry- level training and
education that will allow students to move into
the management of goods being shipped into or
out of a foreign country. The need for qualifi ed
import/ export compliance professionals in our
area is growing, said Yevin.
A second program, Sustainability Technol-ogy,
is also new to the North Carolina Commu-nity
College System. According to Herb Burns,
Department Chair, Architectural/ Construction
Technologies, the program instructs individuals
in areas such as alternative energy, environmen-tal
engineering technology, sustainable manufac-turing
and green building technology. Herb said
the need for sustainable technology throughout
the state is one reason this program was “ fast-tracked”
for introduction at several community
colleges in 2010.
The third new program is Broadcasting and
Production Technology, which helps students
develop the skills needed to enter radio and televi-sion
broadcasting and production. This program
had been available at other community colleges
but is new to Forsyth Tech. This new program, like
the others, will further expand the educational
opportunities available at our school.
Students Fix Bikes
for Tykes
Once again this year, Forsyth Tech students
in the Autobody program repaired bicycles to be
given to kids at Christmas. The students spent
their free time fi xing gears, adding new wheels
and brakes, and even painting the bikes, which
were then given to the Salvation Army for
distribution. This is the third year the students
have done this, and in that time they have
restored more than 900 bicycles. They have
also helped raise $ 1,100 to buy tricycles for
younger children.
You’re a Good Man,
Thomas Johnston
On December 14, the North Carolina
Trucking Association Maintenance Council
honored Thomas ( shown below), a student in
the Heavy Equipment and Transport Technol-ogy
program at Forsyth Tech. Each year the
Maintenance Council awards a 268- piece
starter tool set to a deserving student, and
Thomas was
nominated to be
this year’s recipient
by Joe Sechrest,
Department Chair
of the Transporta-tion
Department,
and Allen Doub,
his instructor.
While earning his
degree, Thomas
has maintained an
outstanding GPA and held down a full- time job
to support his family, demonstrating a level of
dedication and willingness to work hard they
felt should be rewarded.
New Leadership
Team Member Named
Jewel Cherry was named Interim Vice
President of Student Services, a position that
makes her a member of the President’s cabinet.
Before assuming this position, she was Dean
of Enrollment and Student Services. Jewel has
more than 15 years of experience with the
North Carolina Community College System.
tion Transporta-
’ s
Spreading Good Will
In the latest instance of Forsyth Tech folks
working to strengthen partnerships in the
community, Sue Marion, Vice President, Corporate
and Continuing Education Services, has joined
the Board of Directors of Goodwill Industries of
Northwest North Carolina. Dr. Gary Green,
President of Forsyth
Tech, recommended
Sue to the Board
because Forsyth
Tech partners with
Goodwill in many
different ways that
involve Corporate
and Continuing
Education. Sue
noted that she
will be a member of the Workforce Development
Subcommittee. She is scheduled to serve through
the end of 2015.
A Man of
Characters
Herb Burns, Depart-ment
Chair, Architectural/
Construction Technologies,
recently invited world- re-nowned
game designer and
concept artist Jason Manley to host a work-shop
on the campus of Forsyth Tech for the school’s
animation and gaming students. Mr. Manley was
visiting Winston- Salem to deliver a keynote speech
at the University of North Carolina School of the
Arts sponsored by the Piedmont Triad Partnership.
Mr. Manley talked to the students about a variety of
topics, including how he started and grew two of his
companies – Massive Black and conceptart. org –
and the art of character design. He then conducted
what Herb called “ a master’s class on developing
a character and the scenarios you go through to
build a good story around the character.”
’
4 I www. forsythtech. edu I Winter 2010
Cover Story
Liberty Hardware’s
Paige Green.
Taking
Corporate Training
Up A Notch
A few years ago Paige Green, human resources director
at Liberty Hardware in Winston- Salem, was trying to get
a grant to fund leadership training for new supervisors
at the company. That particular grant required that the
training be provided by an outside vendor.
When she scouted around, Ms. Green learned that
Forsyth Tech offered exactly what she was looking
for – courses developed by Development Dimensions
International, taught by a DDI certifi ed trainer. DDI is
a favorite for corporate training; about a quarter of
a million people go through its programs every year.
As it turned out, Liberty Hardware didn’t get the grant money.
Ms. Green could have taken all the courses herself and
become certifi ed to teach them. But having Forsyth Tech
do the training was a more cost- effective solution. Thirty
employees took more than 15 classes, including leadership
fundamentals, coaching and delegation.
“ It’s been phenomenal,” Ms. Green said. And leadership
training was just the beginning. In the past two years, Liberty
Hardware has turned to Forsyth Tech to teach employees to
operate their upgraded inventory management system, for
logistics and supply chain courses, for Six Sigma Yellow Belt
training and for customer service training.
Winter 2010 I www. forsythtech. edu I 5
Forsyth Tech instructor Chris Suttles
teaches Jeff Franklin to operate
the scissor lift on the upgraded
inventory management system
at Liberty Hardware.
Vice President Sue Marion with Tom Jaynes
Tammy Tally and Jennifer Coulombe the
corporate training team. Keeping current is
important. They belong to all the professional
organizations, keep their certifi cations up to
date, read everything they can get their hands
on and do great Google searches. Bottom line:
They thrive on change and growth.
Forsyth Tech’s corporate training group taught 160
courses, some of them involving as many as 50
class hours.
“ We visit as a team, and interview our clients
to fi nd out what they need,” Jennifer said. “ Instead
of starting with a list of courses we can offer, we go
in and hear what their needs are. To some extent,
all courses are customized, because industries and
companies each have their own lingo. We’ll often
spend twice as much to develop a course as they
pay us to deliver the course.”
In addition to the soft and hard skills training
they are best known for, the corporate training
group also offers executive coaching, strategic
planning, board training and board development,
and 360- degree feedback programs.
“ A lot of times we start with their strategic
plan, and how they want to transform the way
they do business,” Tammy said. “ We start with the
organization’s mission and vision and goals.”
A recent example is Tammy’s work with
P aige Green is not alone in having been
unaware of the breadth and quality of corporate
training available through Forsyth Tech. Even in a
state community college system that prides itself on
the large investment it makes in workforce develop-ment,
Forsyth Tech is a standout. And one thing that
sets it apart is a team of experienced trainers who
go out into the community, actively fi nd out what
employers want, and custom tailor learning experi-ences
for them, at their sites and on their schedules.
The team members are Jennifer Coulombe,
Director of Corporate Education; Tom Jaynes,
Director of Industrial Training; and Tammy Tally,
Coordinator/ Trainer in Corporate Education. “ My
experience is in business and the non- profi t sector,”
said Jennifer. “ Tammy’s background is in non- profi t
and government, and Tom’s is in industry and
technology. If we can’t provide an organization with
what they need, we tell them about other resources.”
Most of the time, however, they can provide
precisely what employers are looking for. In 2009,
Cover Story
Cover Story
Melicia Whitt- Glover, ( right) founder of
Gramercy Research Group, says, “ If I’d known
these things 10 years ago, I’d be dangerous.”
Having received professional development
training when she was on the faculty of Wake
Forest University School of Medicine, she was
persuaded of its power. Now all her employees
receive extensive group training, conducted
by Forsyth Tech’s Tammy Tally ( above).
Additionally, individual staff members have
taken many more Forsyth
Tech classes, at the Small
Business Center downtown
and online.
Gramercy Research Group, one of Winston- Salem’s
newest companies. Located in the Loewy Building
downtown, Gramercy was founded last March by
Dr. Melicia Whitt- Glover, who was previously a
faculty member at Wake Forest University School of
Medicine. The company does community research
focused on improving healthy lifestyle behaviors
like nutrition and physical activity, primarily
among black women. Gramercy Research Group
had a staff of nine by the end of 2009, with six more
slated to start in January. Most of them are data
collectors and community health workers.
“ We want to use this company as a ministry,
by creating jobs and employing people who may
have some diffi culty fi nding employment. They
are new graduates and people reentering the
workforce,” Dr. Whitt- Glover said. “ They’re eager
to get going, and they’re doing a great job. Giving
them training means they don’t have to learn
things the hard way.”
All the staff, even the interns, have had training
in time management, developing partnerships and
collaborations, personal empowerment and taking
initiative, and presentations and public speaking.
“ I had taken continuing education courses at
Forsyth Tech, just for fun. I didn’t know they did this
kind of training,” Dr. Whitt- Glover said. “ It’s been a
great experience.”
6 I www. forsythtech. edu I Winter 2010
What’s in a Name?
“ There are few independent research firms, because it’s difficult to survive.
I made the decision to start this company after prayer and fasting, making
sure this is what I was meant to do. And I prayed for a name. Gramercy
comes from a gospel song I was listening to – Your Grace and Mercy.”
-- Dr. Melicia Whitt- Glover, Founder and President, Gramercy Research Group
Staff training is a special event, but the preschoolers
at Head Start are active learners every day.
A group of the children are pictured here
with project specialist Marcy Sheets.
Winter 2010 I www. forsythtech. edu I 7
Cover Story
The soft skills, or interpersonal skills,
Gramercy Research Group was looking for are
particularly in demand.
“ In our community we have folks who have
skills, but not the right skills,” Tammy said. “ Em-ployers
will tell you that schools are not teaching
people what they need to be employable. We see
the same problems everywhere – people afraid to
confront confl ict, or not handling confl ict well,
people resisting change, when the rate of change
is breathtaking. Our goal as professionals is,
you’re going to see behavior changes.”
A popular course for helping teams operate
effectively and improving the way individuals
interact with clients or customers is the DiSC
assessment, a system of typing individuals by the
values and behaviors they exhibit at work. Family
Services, Inc. Head Start program had Forsyth
Tech train their management team and their
family advocates, social workers who interact
directly with the poverty- level families who qualify
for Head Start.
“ Family advocates assist families with short-term
and long- term goals, which may include
helping them with employment, furthering their
education or purchasing a home, as well as
any emergency issues that may arise,” said Jean
Lindsey, human resources manager for Family
Services. “ Workshops and events are planned
throughout the school year for the 499 children
and families we serve in Forsyth County.”
The DiSC training was so effective that Ms.
Lindsey is planning to have the teaching staff go
through the same course.
“ Jennifer was an excellent instructor,” she
said. “ Learning our colleagues’ dimensions of
behavior was enlightening and has made a posi-tive
difference in our team dynamics. There is no
‘ right’ or ‘ wrong’ in the different personality types
– a good team has members from all four
categories – Dominant, Infl uence, Steadfast
and Conscientious.”
A A b Couvte
Jean Lindsey, Human
Resources Administrator for
Family Services, took the
DiSC training with the
management group. She
found out that she’s a “ C,”
or Conscientious type,
which confi rmed something
she’s often observed: “ When
a new idea or proposal is
presented, the management
team looks to me to identify
the challenges, along with
the necessary steps to follow
our federal guidelines. They
know I’m all about the details.”
8 I www. forsythtech. edu I Winter 2010
Cover Story
The current recession has increased the
demand for the corporate training Forsyth Tech
offers. In some instances, companies no longer
have internal training resources after rounds
of layoffs. In others, companies have become
intensely aware of the need to keep the customers
they have, and keep them happy. That effort may
call for customer service training, or it may require
improvement of a company’s internal processes,
so that the organization becomes faster, more
responsive and more accurate in fi lling orders.
Kaba Access Control, a manufacturer of com-mercial
locks in Winston- Salem, is one of many
companies that looks to Lean Six Sigma training
to transform the way the work is done.
Ed Lodics became plant operations manager
at Kaba in April of 2008. “ At the time, our on- time
shipping rate was 65 to 70 percent. Now it’s over
95 percent, with more aggressive lead time. Lean
training is one piece of the puzzle,” he said.
Mr. Lodics started working with Tom Jaynes
almost as soon as he assumed his job, and by that
summer he had started the fi rst round of a 40-
hour training program in Lean manufacturing
principles for more than 15 employees. Then all
250 employees had an introductory course in 5S,
a process improvement technique.
To directly address what Mr. Lodics saw as a
A A b Couvte
The DiSC personality profi le is
a time- honored way of assessing
an individual’s behavior. A person’s
type is determined by his or her
answers to a series of 28 questions.
In the workplace, DiSC helps people
understand themselves and others
better, and therefore to communi-cate
more effectively. You probably
don’t need the full test to spot your
own type – or your co- workers
behavioral styles.
Dominance
Demanding, forceful, strong- willed,
determined, driving, ambitious,
pioneering.
Influence
Convincing, magnetic, enthusiastic,
persuasive, warm, expressive,
optimistic.
Steadiness
Calm, relaxed, patient, predictable,
deliberate, consistent, possessive.
Conscientious
Cautious, neat, exacting, systematic,
accurate, tactful.
everybody DiSC
can use
Ed Lodics, plant operations manager for
Kaba Access Control, went through the training
with his employees. “ That says a lot to them. I’ve been
in situations where the person leading the charge doesn’t
participate,” he said.
It’s hard to think of a piece of work that
wouldn’t benefi t from the 5S philosophy
that is a key to Lean Manufacturing.
The S’s apply to fi ve Japanese words, and
they add up to a process that results in
improved morale, safety, productivity and
effi ciency. Translated to English,
the fi ve steps are:
Sort
Get rid of unnecessary items in
the workplace.
Set in Order
Focus on what you need to get the
job done, fi nd a place for each item,
and put everything in its proper place.
Shine
Once you’ve cleared out the clutter,
keep the space clean and neat
every day.
Standardize
Now that the place is clean
and orderly, concentrate on
standardizing best practices for
the work performed there.
Sustain
Resist falling back to your old ways.
Keep the good habits going.
everybody5 S
can use
Winter 2010 I www. forsythtech. edu I 9
Cover Story
need for people to search out the data that would
lead to good decisions and right actions, Jennifer
Coulombe designed a course that melded
elements of DDI training with elements of Six
Sigma Green Belt training.
“ It’s all about changing the culture. You’ve
got to set the direction and give people the tools,”
Mr. Lodics said.
The Forsyth Tech trainers get rave reviews for
their delivery. They understand how adults learn,
and they keep the classes lively and interactive.
“ The classes are not ‘ sit and git,’ ” Tammy said.
“ People are engaged in challenging conversations
and practicing new behaviors, real- life stuff.”
{ before}
{ after}
After employees received Lean
training, this lock assembly area
at Kaba Access was organized
for safety and effi ciency. The raw
components are now arranged in
the sequence they will be used.
The space was reduced by 50
percent, which not only creates
less operator fatigue, but enables
the company to bring more prod-ucts
in- house without spending
more on bricks and mortar.
10 I www. forsythtech. edu I Winter 2010
Cover Story
Dell’s decision to locate a manufactur-ing
facility in Forsyth County represented a
kind of stretch assignment for Forsyth Tech’s
corporate training group. Before the plant was
even built, Forsyth Tech provided space for
interviewing, orienting and training prospective
employees, and trained hundreds of people on
computer skills, Lean Manufacturing principles,
safety and other subjects.
Sue Marion was new to her position
as head of Corporate and Continuing Educa-tion,
and she was determined to provide Dell
the highest level of customer service. She
succeeded so well that Dell continued to rely
on Forsyth Tech for all its training needs the
whole time it was here, though the company
employed internal trainers in its other locations.
Forsyth Tech trained 1,150 full- time people
for Dell.
The announcement in 2009 that the plant
would close was devastating to many, not
least Forsyth Tech. The college sent a rapid-response
team to the plant and held
two standing- room- only sessions in the
company cafeteria. The next week Forsyth
Tech sent six instructors to the plant to help
employees prepare their resumes. They were
there for a week.
To see those people lose their jobs was
heartbreaking for Sue Marion, yet she feels
they are better off than they might have been.
“ With what we were able to do for
Dell, all those individuals have received
extensive training, and those skills are all
transferable,” she said.
And the challenge of training all the
employees for a start- up operation, in a rapidly
changing environment, has a lasting impact
on Forsyth Tech, too. Like so many stretch as-signments,
it expanded the corporate training
group’s capabilities, so that now Sue Marion
can say with confi dence, “ We are prepared for
whatever a company needs.”
an
inDELLable
impression
Employers say that people today see on- the- job
training as a perk, an investment in their profes-sional
development and their ongoing employability.
Virtually all the skills taught are not only transferable
to other jobs but useful in any human interactions,
including communications within the family.
The Forsyth Tech team also gets kudos for how
well it looks out for client organizations.
“ Tom Jaynes made us aware that we were
eligible for grant funding from the state,” said
Paige Green at Liberty Hardware. “ I didn’t even
know about it. It’s a program for new and expand-ing
industries. We received $ 72,000 from the state for
training our hourly workforce. With this grant, we’ll
be training more than 300 people over the course of
2009, 2010 and into 2011.”
The good news for many local companies is that,
even in a prolonged recession, North Carolina has
not reduced its commitment to the development of
a 21st century workforce. And the corporate training
people at Forsyth Tech are ready, willing and positively
passionate about developing talent and skills for
organizations large and small, for businesses and
non- profi t agencies.
Sue Marion’s Vision
High- Quality Training,
with Heart
In virtually any organization, the
tone is set at the top. In Forsyth Tech’s
Division of Corporate and Continuing
Education, that would be Sue Marion.
Workforce development is her passion,
her mission and her life’s work.
She has worked in North Carolina’s
community college system for more than
33 years, her entire career. She began
working at Forsyth Tech 17 years ago,
as director of its Small Business Center.
In 2004, she was promoted to vice
A A b Couvte president of Corporate and Continuing
Education, a cabinet- level position.
Now, more than 60 percent of the
division’s work is corporate and business
training. A focus on customized training
has been her initiative, and she built the
team that can sell and deliver this highly
fl exible and responsive training.
Perhaps what drives her is a close
association with all the kinds of people
who need new skills – those who have
been laid off, those who aren’t prepared
for the jobs they have, those who need
retraining after long careers in jobs that
have moved offshore. No ivory tower
academic, she is constantly out in the
community, forming and nurturing
partnerships with all the agencies in
the community that touch on workforce
development.
“ It’s all about taking the programs
to the people,” she said.
And her understanding of the
transformative power of education can
be gleaned from her favorite quotation,
from Henry Miller: “ One’s destination is
never a place, but rather a new way of
looking at things.”
Winter 2010 I www. forsythtech. edu I 11
An Interview with
Anu Williams, Instructor
in Public Speaking
attention...
Now that I
have your
Take It From Tech
12 I www. forsythtech. edu I Winter 2010 Winter 2010 I www. forsythtech. edu I 13
Take It From Tech Take It From Tech
Don’t Faint!
If your pulse races and your voice breaks when you stand up to
speak, there are plenty of things you can do to calm down. Anu
Williams recommends that you:
> Walk to the lectern confi dently, with good posture.
> Take your time.
> Take shallow breaths.
> Sweep the room with your eyes.
> Hold each person’s gaze for at least a couple of seconds.
> Smile back if somebody smiles at you.
> Use a conversational tone.
> Take your time.
> Pause frequently and look around, and
> Don’t memorize your talk. Use index cards to remind
yourself of content you want to communicate. And put
physical prompts in the margins of your cards: Breathe,
Pause, Change Tone for Emphasis, Look Up, Smile!
#!@%*#!@%*#!@%*#!@%*#!@%*
#!@%*#!@%*#!@%*#!@%*#!@%*
#!@%* #!@%* #!@%* #!@%* #!@%* #!@%*
#!@%* #!@%* #!@%* #!@%* #!@%* #!@%*
Even the
Best Speakers
Sometimes
Make Mistakes
!@%*#!@%*#!@%*#!@%
Oops!
Besides being a practical necessity for many adults, Public Speaking is a core elective that fi lls the communications requirement
for most degree programs at Forsyth Tech. Anu Williams is one of three full- time and fi ve adjunct instructors who teaches the
course. A native of Singapore, Anu and her family came to the U. S. in 2001 after living in Singapore for many years. She taught
at a business school there, and has been an adjunct instructor in the
community college system for several years as well as teaching at a
Montessori school in Winston- Salem. This is Anu’s fi rst year as a
full- time instructor at Forsyth Tech.
Anu, we’ve all heard that public speaking ranks above even death in what
people are afraid of. Do many of your students start out terrifi ed of taking
the fl oor?
It’s about half and half. But even those who are not fearful still need to
learn speaking skills.
What is it that makes people so afraid of standing up and speaking?
They don’t want to make fools of themselves. They’re afraid they will
say something wrong and be embarrassed. A lot of the fear comes
from not knowing how the audience will react.
That makes sense.
Yes, the students are all nervous when they give their fi rst speech to
their classmates. As they become familiar with their classmates, they
lose that fear. I feel something like that too, the fi rst time I go into a
new class, when we are sizing each other up. And you don’t want to
lose your fear completely.
Why is that?
You need that adrenaline. I compare it to being a sprinter. Before you
start, you’re very aware of the crowd yelling and cheering you on. After
the gun goes off, you don’t hear anything. You’re just focused on the
fi nish line. You get into a state of fl ow, but only if you practice. Then it
just comes. The same is true of public speaking.
So in your courses students get plenty of practice?
They give six or seven speeches during the semester. Early in the
course they are also learning about the psychological aspects of
speech, both internal and external. They need to know that people hear
things differently depending on their own biases. They may come
in with their minds already made up, and you can see that in their
nonverbal reactions.
I can picture those audiences with their arms folded across their
chests, and a grim expression on their faces...
That can throw speakers off. We teach how to reach audiences,
and how not to take it personally if you don’t reach everybody.
How do you get an audience involved?
Going in prepared helps. You need to know who the audience is.
You need to be able to think on your feet, which is easier if you
know your subject very well. Being prepared is half the battle.
You mentioned knowing your material well. Do students
choose their own topics for speeches?
Yes. That helps bring out their passion. I have learned from my
students how to hunt and quarter a deer, how to change a tire,
how to fi t a bra, and how to prepare lots and lots of recipes.
There are obviously many types of occasions when public speaking is
called for. Do you teach the skills needed for different purposes?
Defi nitely. Students do a dramatic reading of a poem or storybook
or prose passage of their choice, to learn about expression. And
they do a speech for an event like a wedding or reunion or a eulogy
at a funeral, the kind of speech where some creativity is called
for. One student had his 5- year- old daughter in mind when he
composed a speech he wanted to deliver at her wedding.
Almost everybody is called on to make a few remarks on such
occasions. What comes next?
After learning about delivery in the fi rst few speeches, we turn to
informative speech and persuasive speech, where research and
supportive materials are needed and a logical sequence must be
followed. These speeches need an introduction that gets people’s
attention, the main points, and then a conclusion, which might be
a call to action. The fi nal speech is a symposium. Students work in
groups of four or fi ve, and learn to divide up responsibilities. They
operate as a panel, and take questions from the class.
Sounds like anybody can really benefi t from learning to make a
speech.
Yes, students say that it helps them become more confi dent. Most
of them work, and this class helps them run a staff meeting or ask
their boss for a raise. If you have all your facts and it comes out
organized, you have a better chance of getting the outcome you
want. If you have good speaking skills, people listen to you.
Presidents and vice presidents make speeches every day, so
you’d think they’d be pretty good public speakers. Well, even
with all that practice, they still make mistakes. Here are fi ve
classics from the last few decades.
“ We’re the party of a great leader of compassion – Lyndon Baines
Johnson, and the party of a great man who should have been
President, who would have been one of the greatest Presidents in
history – Hubert Horatio Hornblower… er, Humphrey.” – President
Jimmy Carter
“ We’re trying to get unemployment to go up, and I think we’re
going to succeed.” – President Ronald Reagan
“ One word sums up probably the responsibility of any vice president,
and that one word is ‘ to be prepared.’ ” – Vice President Dan Quayle
“ A zebra doesn’t change its spots.” – Vice President Al Gore
“ Rarely is the question asked, ‘ Is our children learning?’ ”
– President George W. Bush
14 I www. forsythtech. edu I Winter 2010 Winter 2010 I www. forsythtech. edu I 15
Alumni Spotlight
Jane Morgan Smith with
her truffl e hunters,
Friday and Dazy.
Alumni Spotlight
K eep Your Fork is the name of the truffl e farm
that Jane Morgan Smith and her husband, Rick,
own. It could also be the title of her life story.
Jane was born and raised in High Point and spent
most of her career in offi ce work. As she and her husband
started thinking about their eventual retirement, they
decided they wanted to provide for a good second income
by 2004. So in 1992 they bought some land in King
and planned to grow shiitake mushrooms and perhaps
other crops.
Then fate intervened, and Jane had retirement
thrust on her several years ahead of plan. She was one of
many who were offered an early out when Wachovia was
merged into First Union.
“ I decided to make a complete change,” she said.
“ I took my severance package and enrolled in the
massage therapy program at Forsyth Tech. I loved it.”
Jane was in the fi rst therapeutic massage program
at Forsyth Tech that led to a diploma. Earlier classes
had been part of the Continuing Education division.
“ The program was in transition, and I was
in transition,” she said. After graduating, she set up
her own therapeutic massage practice, Art of Healing.
Meanwhile, back at the farm, the Smiths were
introduced to another mushroom farmer, Franklin
Garland of Hillsborough. He was getting out of the
mushroom business and getting into truffl es, a crop
that was then almost unknown in North Carolina. The
Smiths were intrigued, and planted their fi rst fi lbert trees
in 2000, knowing that no truffl es would be growing
among their roots for several years.
“ You’re at the mercy of nature,” Jane said. Even
now, she estimates that only 10 percent of the more than
100 trees they fi rst planted have produced truffl es.
She recently heard a major league Spanish truffl e
farmer speak, who said that he had a 37- year- old tree
that had just produced truffl es for the fi rst time. “ That’s
the kind of mystery we’re dealing with,” she said.
After planting that fi rst orchard, the Smiths bought
adjacent land for another orchard, and now have nine
acres, the smallest farm on the tax records of Stokes County.
And the Smiths are no longer such a rare breed – now there
are more than 100 truffl e farms in North Carolina, thanks
mostly to the efforts of Franklin Garland. The industry is
progressing in much the same way that North Carolina’s
wine industry has developed.
“ I decided I would end up with whichever needed
me most, the massage practice or the farm,” Jane said.
The farm won, and she phased out the last of her massage
clients in 2009.
The truffl e business engages a lot of her energy, though
not in the sense of toil and sweat. She can’t imagine herself
milking cows or gathering eggs, and she never dreamed
that she would have any connection to agriculture. But
growing truffl es is not particularly labor intensive. There’s
orchard maintenance three seasons of the year, and the
winter harvest.
This farmer could be compared to Johnny Appleseed,
spreading the word about how to grow and enjoy a crop
that is new to this region. Jane makes presentations to
garden clubs, gives advice to new truffl e farmers, and
serves as the president of the North American Truffl e Growers
Association. She was involved in planning the fi rst National
Truffl e Fest, which was held last March in Asheville. And
a particularly exciting opportunity to educate Americans
about truffl e growing came in January 2007 when
Martha Stewart came to the farm. The show in which
Jane, her truffl e dog Friday and Martha Stewart walked
Keep Your Fork Farm’s orchards was broadcast nationally
a few weeks later.
Keep Your Fork –
The Best Is Yet to Come!
Who Knew that Retirement Would Bring a World of Truffl es?
16 I www. forsythtech. edu I Winter 2010 Winter 2010 I www. forsythtech. edu I 17
Alumni Spotlight Alumni Spotlight
“ We’ve learned so much we can share with
other people, “ Jane said. “ I’m always answering
questions and networking with other farmers.”
Long ago, before she had any offi ce skills,
before she learned massage therapy, before she
knew the fi rst thing about fungi, Jane imagined
that she would one day be a teacher. And as
mysteriously as a truffl e developing below the
ground, the pattern has emerged.
“ That’s really what I am now; I’m a
teacher,” Jane said.
Never Fear,
Friday Is on the Case
The farm motto – the best
is yet to come – holds true.
Beginning to harvest the
rewards feels good to Jane,
like a long- held dream fi nally
coming to fruition.
Friday ( left) took to truffl e
hunting like a duck to water.
Dazy ( below) is still learning.
Pigs were the original truffl e hunters. They
sniffed out the tasty fungi in order to eat them.
Today, truffl e growers all over the world rely on
obedient dogs rather than hungry hogs. To know
if there are truffl es ready to be harvested, Jane
depends on a border collie she trained.
“ I took little pieces of truffl e and wrapped
them and hid them in the house. I’d give Friday
( named for another detective, Sgt. Joe Friday of
the old “ Dragnet” series) the scent, and say ‘ Find
Mama nut- nut,’ ” she said. “ Then I started hiding
pieces of truffl e wrapped in foil outside. I also took
a length of PVC pipe and punched holes in it and
put truffl es in it. I closed off both ends so he could
use it as a toy. Friday got really good, really fast.”
Friday loves to work and has a strong work
ethic, Jane said, but the young dog she is training,
Dazy, is not quite as focused.
“ Friday’s reward is play. Dazy’s is
treats,” she said. “ The intention is
for Dazy to become a
truffl e dog.”
Jane Morgan Smith’s association with, and affection for, Forsyth Tech
began when she enrolled in the therapeutic massage program. Later she
worked part time with Project Skill- UP, a Forsyth Tech workforce training
program in Walnut Cove. The productive relationship with her alma mater
continues today. Jane is assistant director for StokesCORE, a non- profi t
organization that was founded as a response to the declining tobacco
industry, plant closings, job cuts and corporate downsizings, which have
had a severe impact on the county. Forsyth Tech is one of the partners
in the organization, along with Workforce Development, Sertoma 4- H
Educational Center and NC Cooperative Extension.
Jane works from an offi ce at Camp Sertoma, and from her home offi ce,
and the staff meets at coffee shops and restaurants. This kind of fl uidity
is mostly welcome to Jane.
“ At Wachovia, I had my desk and everything organized at my desk,” she
said. “ StokesCORE is more entrepreneurial. You’re not always in the same
place with the same people.”
Her Day Job Is Fun, Too
Black Diamonds
Keep Your Fork Farm is the only farm in
Stokes County that has harvested the Black
Périgord Truffl e, named for the Périgord region
in France. The Smiths use the price the French
set on this rare delicacy – $ 800 per pound, or
$ 50 per ounce.
Prized by the ancient Romans as an aph-rodisiac,
truffl es have no particular nutritional
value. What creates the high demand for them
today is a taste like no other.
“ I had never tasted a truffl e until I met the
Garlands,” Jane said. “ I liked them immediately.
They’re a little mushroomy, but completely
unique.”
Truffl es are so wildly expensive that restau-rant
chefs buy them by the ounce. Fortunately,
a little goes a long way, and bits of truffl e can be
used to give a rich and delicious taste to pasta or
omelets or other dishes.
These fungi grow from spores that attach
to the roots of a few varieties of trees. The roots
of seedling trees are actually dipped in the spores.
Truffl es will only grow in soil that has a very
high pH and is regularly irrigated. Even when all
the conditions are right, the yield can be small.
Jane sells some of the truffl es to individuals
and some to area restaurants. She also makes
truffl e butter, which is sold at Reynolda Farm
Market and the Briar Patch. “ We like it on warm
bread,” Jane said.
Even as more people become acquainted
with the luxurious taste of a truffl e and more
North Carolinians cultivate them, Jane said
truffl es are so elusive that the demand will
always exceed the supply.
“ The supply has dwindled, worldwide, from
thousands of tons to hundreds of tons. Even in
France, where they used to grow naturally, they
have to be cultivated. This is going to be a
lucrative market for a long, long time.”
Find out more about the care and fi nding
of truffl es – www. keepyourforkfarm. com
A little taste of truffl e goes a
long way. This jar of truffl e
butter will fl avor enough
pasta for four people.
Who Works Here
18 I www. forsythtech. edu I Fall 2009
A
apart and put things back together. It’s a
wonderland for me. What I feel when I hear a
powerful engine start up could only be described
as swooning.”
Christine decided to join the program after
a birthday gift reignited a passion for cars. “ My
husband sent me away to learn performance
driving,” she says. “ I’ve always loved cars and
engines. I worked on cars with my father when I
was a kid and had always missed it.” After attending
the school, she thought it would be fun to have
“ a souped- up car of my own to take up to VIR
( Virginia International Raceway) or just to play
with in the front yard with my sons like my father
did with me.” But she realized she didn’t have the
basic knowledge she needed. “ I couldn’t maintain
a car like that,” she says.
That’s when Fate stepped in. “ My kids brought
in the mail one day and – this sounds like magical
realism, I know, but – they threw the mail across
the table and it all fell off except the Forsyth Tech
fl yer, and that was open to the page that listed
Race Car Technology. I thought, ‘ Oh, my gosh,
I could learn to do that,’ and I called them up
the same day.”
And this isn’t the fi rst time Christine has
been a Forsyth Tech student. “ I started at Forsyth
Tech a million and a half years ago and took
some college transfer credits,” she recalls. She
ultimately went on to NC State and graduated
Magna Cum Laude in Public Relations and
Communications.
What will she do with her new degree in
Race Car Technology? She’s not sure yet. “ I love
being there so much, why wouldn’t I go on and
look for a job afterwards?” she asks, but also says
that “ if I just end up hanging out in the garage
and teaching my kids how to use a ratchet, I’ll be
happy with that, too.”
s a kid in Massachusetts,
Greg Chase decided he
wanted to see the world.
“ I had itchy feet,” he says,
and over the next 40 years,
those itchy feet took him
on an amazing journey.
It began at 18, when he went to Tulane
University in New Orleans. Unfortunately, he was
only there a year and half. He says a combination
of things did him in – a heavy academic load,
working 30 hours a week and, he admits candidly,
the temptation to party. “ It was New Orleans, and
the drinking age was 18,” he says simply.
After his career at Tulane came to an end,
Greg moved on to Nicholls State College in nearby
Thibodaux, Louisiana. Originally a two- year
school, much like Forsyth Tech, by the time Greg
arrived, it was a four- year college. At Nicholls State,
a lot of good people helped Greg get serious about
his studies. He earned a BS in Marine Biology and
credits the school with getting him back on track.
“ Nicholls State College saved me from myself,” he
says, “ and I got a really good education.”
It also got him started on the next part of his
journey. “ I went through two years of Air Force
ROTC while I was there. I went into the Air Force,
got trained as a pilot and spent 27 years fl ying
C- 130s.”
Greg’s Air Force career let him see the world.
He spent three years in Southeast Asia, logging
more than 200 combat hours. He fl ew a C- 12
King Air as a security assistance offi cer for the
U. S. Embassy in Zaire ( Congo) for two years. He
spent three years in Paris as Director of Air Force
Affairs at the U. S. Embassy, which was his ( and
his wife’s) favorite assignment. And between his
overseas postings, he served on Air Force bases in
several states, including North Carolina.
Those years in North Carolina led him to
move to Winston- Salem when he retired from the
Air Force. At that point he gave up fl ying to pursue
his other career – personnel management.
That career also began in the Air Force.
“ I was reassigned to a personnel position when I
got back from Vietnam,” he says, and eventually
he earned an MA in Personnel Management from
Webster University in St. Louis. “ They had an off-campus
site at Pope Air Force Base. It took me two
years of night school. That’s why I have empathy for
the students that come here and go to night school.
I know how hard it is having a full- time job and
doing that.”
Greg’s journey brought him to Forsyth Tech
as Director of Human Resources in 2002. In that
position, he spends his days going over résumés,
doing background checks, writing job descriptions
and fi elding lots of phone calls and emails from the
faculty and staff. But the best part, he says, is watch-ing
people grow. “ When we bring in new people,
they reach a point and all of a sudden, bing, they
just blossom. It’s nice to see that happen.”
In the last 40 years, Greg Chase’s “ itchy feet”
have taken him to New Orleans, Vietnam, Congo,
Paris and many places in between. Now, having
seen the world, he brings a world of experience and
knowledge to Forsyth Tech.
On a Roll
Working on high- performance cars isn’t
Christine’s only passion. She’s also a
writer, genealogist, jewelry maker and
is active in local politics. And last year
she became a member of the Charlotte
Roller Girls, a roller derby team. “ I knew
some people who were getting involved
in roller derby and I said, ‘ That’s for me,’
and I went out there and joined up,” she
says. Unfortunately, after enduring a year
of intense training and a brutal assess-ment
period to earn full membership, she
suffered a career- ending injury before
her fi rst bout. Still, she says she’s glad
she did it. “ The way that it made me
feel was second to nothing else. Like I
could do anything at all.” And while she’s
decided not to get back into competi-tion,
she says she might become a roller
derby referee. We think it’s safe to say
that if that’s what she decides she wants
to do, there’s no doubt she’ll do it.
I n December 2008,
Christine Toole just
happened to see a Forsyth
Tech fl yer. As a result, in
December 2010 she’ll
be the fi rst woman to
graduate from the Richard
Childress Race Technology
program at Forsyth Tech.
She isn’t the typical Race Car Technology
student. She’s a mother of three and has a job
in business administration with a non- profi t
organization. But she’s right at home working
on an engine. “ I love the smell of the shop,” she
says, smiling. “ I’m probably the only human who
thinks the smell of old grease is wonderful. I go
in there, and I get to use the tools and take things
Who Goes Here
Director,
Human Resources
Richard Childress Race Car Technology,
Winter 2010 I www. forsythtech. edu I 19
Class of 2010
In addition to his work as Director of
Human Resources, Greg is also one of
the advisors to the college’s Philosophical
Society, along with Dr. James Fortuna, the
inspiration for the organization, Sylvia Haith,
and Amy Quesenberry. “ It’s based on the
Philosophical Society of America,” he
explains. “ It’s a free speech forum where
students, faculty, staff – whoever – can
come and discuss current topics of the
day.” For him, it’s a venue “ for interacting
with students and seeing how today’s
students think and cooperate together.” As
a former military offi cer, he’s also proud of
the work the group does to help the
homeless in the area, and particularly the
homeless who will not come in out of the
cold. “ There’s a very small number of them,
maybe 15 or 20, but they are very hard- core
homeless, and they are usually ex- military,”
he says. “ We provide sleeping bags and
long johns, warm underwear, gloves and
toboggans throughout the cold months of
the year.” Clearly, this Philosophical Society
isn’t just all talk.
Philosophically
Speaking
JobsNOW Graduation JobsNOW Graduation
Forsyth Tech celebrates North Carolina’s fi rst JobsNOW graduating class
20 I www. forsythtech. edu I Winter 2010 Winter 2010 I www. forsythtech. edu I 21
“ JobsNOW: 12 In 6” is a program launched in April by Gov. Beverly Perdue
to help North Carolinians get entry- level training in occupational areas
that are growing. The initiative created community college programs in
12 career paths, each requiring less than six months to complete. Forsyth
Tech was one of the fi rst community colleges to embrace the program,
putting it on the cover of the fall Corporate & Continuing Education
course listing that was mailed to every home in Forsyth and Stokes
Counties. As a result, more than 800 students enrolled in JobsNOW
courses at Forsyth Tech, more than half of the 1,400 enrolled statewide.
Winston- Salem Mayor Allen Joines urged the graduates to be lifelong learners. “ Statistics
show that people in the workforce today will change jobs seven times,” he said. “ Keep the saw
sharpened.” He also spoke to them about the importance of fi nding a career they love and living
lives of character. He concluded his remarks with an inspiring quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson:
“ Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
On Dec. 10, 2009, the first JobsNOW graduation ceremony in North Carolina was held at Goodwill Industries of Northwest
North Carolina in Winston- Salem. The 84 graduates who participated in the ceremony had taken night classes at Goodwill
in eight different JobsNOW programs, including Electrician Helper, Medical Office Billing, Plumbing Helper, Introduction to
Masonry, Pharmacy Assistant and Nursing Assistant. Approximately 60 percent of the graduates already have jobs.
Forsyth Tech President Dr. Gary Green welcomed
the graduates and their guests and spoke about
the 20- year partnership between Forsyth Tech and
Goodwill, a partnership that continues to expand
to meet the workforce development needs of the
community. Derrick Dease ( center) signed up for
two JobsNOW programs after reading
about JobsNOW in the CCE course
listing. He received certifi cates in both
the Electrician Helper and Plumbing
Helper courses, and wants to pursue a
career in construction. He said he was
very pleased with his JobsNOW experi-ence.
“ We had a great class with real
good instructors. They did a great job.”
Carmen Swink is one of those who found out about JobsNOW
through the CCE course listing. She had been laid off in January
and was unable to fi nd another job, so she decided to take Medical
Offi ce Billing. “ It was wonderful,” she said of the course. “ I really
learned a lot.” Ms. Swink is now volunteering at Forsyth Medical, in
order to get on- the- job experience that will hopefully lead to a job.
James Shaw graduated from the Introduc-tion
to Masonry course, and hopes to use
the skills he learned to complete some
do- it- yourself projects now and possibly
earn some extra money later. “ I have some
projects at home that I want to try and do
on my own,” he said, “ and when I retire this
is something I want to do on the side.” Mr.
Shaw is currently a computer analyst.
Sue Marion, Vice President
of Corporate and Continuing
Education at Forsyth Tech
( left), and Galyn Shivers,
Director of Workforce
Development Services ( right),
awarded certifi cates to the
proud graduates.
Friends and family cheered on the graduates, many
of whom are pursuing new careers, while others are
expanding their skills in order to make themselves more
versatile or more valuable to their current employers.
Goodwill Industries President Art Gibel also congratulated
the graduates, and told them that participating in JobsNOW
training will give them a head start on being qualifi ed for the
jobs that are now available.
22 I www. forsythtech. edu I Winter 2010 Winter 2010 I www. forsythtech. edu I 23
Future Focus Future Focus
Forsyth Tech’s Strategic Direction 2010 creates a shared vision for the work to be done
as the College enters its 50th year. It is based on the best thinking of and collaborative
dialogue among members of the college community and the broader community it
serves, enlightened by comprehensive assessment data. Strategic Direction 2010 will
drive planning, decision making and assessment throughout the College, and commence
a new era of progress and measured achievement for Forsyth Tech.
“ Inviting people from the outside into
the strategic planning process was impres-sive.
I remember coming back and mar-veling
at how really open the session was.
When tough things came out, everybody
was OK with that. People were honest and
helpful. It’s clear that Forsyth Tech has a
real commitment to building community
and to nurturing strong partnerships. I’ve
had a lot of interactions with community
colleges around the country, and I’ve
never seen this kind of camaraderie. It’s an
amazing place, very much connected to
the community.”
– Cheryl Locke, Vice President and Chief Human Resources
Officer, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.
“ I think it was wonderful to involve the
community this way, opening up the good
and the bad so we can all work together. It
allowed us to think about how Goodwill
can strengthen our relationship with
Forsyth Tech, especially with JobsNOW. It
helped me understand the overall picture
better, so that we can collaborate even
more than we do now.”
– Sherry Carpenter, Vice President of
Workforce Development Services, Goodwill Industries.
“ Forsyth Tech is always striving to be better,
always looking to the future. This process
was all about enhancing the service to
students, local businesses and the whole
community. Each strategic initiative aims
to do that, whether it is through student
Engagement, Technology or Communica-tions.
The planning process reiterated what
we all know about the leadership of the
college. Dr. Green and his leadership team
are always striving for the college to be
better today and tomorrow than yesterday.”
– Ann Bennett- Phillips, Forsyth Tech Board of Trustees;
Vice President, Capital Development Services, Inc.
Mission Statement
Forsyth Technical Community College provides students with
exceptional technical education and training as well as college
transfer, adult basic education, and continuing and corporate
education programs to develop a globally competitive workforce.
The college responds to student, employer and community needs
with innovative, exible programs and service delivery.
Strategic Initiatives
Forsyth Tech supports the College’s
mission by focusing on the following
strategic initiatives:
Student Engagement
The College facilitates a culture of caring by
providing effective services, and enhancing
relationships between students and the College
that support student persistence and the
achievement of personal and academic goals.
Communication
Communications between students, faculty,
staff, administration and the community are
clear, consistent, effective and transparent.
Workforce Development
The College develops and promotes innovative
and fl exible programs that respond to
community needs, changing technologies,
economic trends and emerging industries.
Technology
Technology is used to enhance instruction,
facilitate student success and employability,
increase effi ciency and promote personal
interactions.
Resources & Funding
The College empowers employees to seek out
funding sources, uses innovative strategies to
obtain additional resources, and makes
effi cient use of current resources.
We hold high expectations of our students
and are ceaselessly committed to helping them
meet those expectations.
We are a learning organization that supports
formal and informal learning opportunities for
both ourselves and our students.
We recognize the impact of ongoing
technological change on lives and learning and
embrace this change in our College community.
We are committed to being a collaborative
partner in making our community a better
place to live.
We value a work environment characterized
by mutual respect, and demand of ourselves
the highest competence, trust and integrity.
We respect diversity in the college
community – diversity of age, gender, race,
ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation – and
recognize that diversity includes varied learning
styles, cultural and economic differences.
Values
Core
In order to implement
our mission, Forsyth Tech
employees are guided by
the following core values:
Y ou might expect a community college’s strategic planning process to be, well,
a community endeavor. At Forsyth Tech it most emphatically is, beginning with an
invitation for faculty, staff and students to have their say, and culminating with a
two- day facilitated session that included business and community leaders as well as
a cross- section of the college community.
It started with internal soul searching, said Rachel Desmarais, Forsyth Tech’s
Vice President for Information Services. “ What do we do well? What do we not do
so well? What makes it diffi cult to do your job? What do you wish you had that you
don’t have?
“ Everyone who wanted to be included was included,” she said, in a general
survey, and in a series of focus groups. Their ideas and concerns were passed on,
anonymously, to the President’s cabinet, along with input from the Board of
Trustees. Particular themes surfaced over and over – Student Engagement,
Communication, Workforce Development and Technology.
In the two- day planning session, the larger group added another strategic
initiative to those four: Resources and Funding. That initiative is particularly
important in this diffi cult economy, Rachel said. “ How do we meet monetary needs
in a different way? How do we make sure we are good stewards of what we have?”
The strategic initiatives were all tied to the college’s mission statement and
slightly revised core values, and to a set of goals. The next step will come in March,
when tactics for reaching every goal will be set forth.
“ Everything we do in the coming years will be strategic,” Rachel said.
“ We are publishing this multiyear plan internally to make sure we
are moving forward on all the goals, and we’ll be doing a
lot more tracking. We’re prepared to make the
changes we need to make head on.”
An Inclusive Process for Charting the Future
Strategic Direction
All Together Now
The Dual Admission Strategy
to Give Students a Better Shot at Success
Dr. Donald J. Reaves, Chancellor of Winston- Salem State University, and Dr. Gary M. Green, President of Forsyth Tech,
give each other credit for a breakthrough idea.
“ Donald set developing a dual admission program as one of his goals in his inaugural address. We’ve been working on
this ever since he arrived in Winston- Salem,” said Dr. Green.
“ This was Gary’s idea,” said Dr. Reaves. “ Ever since I arrived in Winston- Salem, Gary consistently asks what he can do to help us.”
However the idea originated, the indisputable truth is that both leaders are determined to improve student success, as defi ned
by retention and graduation rates. The Dual Admission Program, which will be implemented next fall, provides for students
to be admitted to both institutions simultaneously. Aimed at improving student success, it addresses a national problem: the
fact that more and more students are admitted to college underprepared for college work.
At Winston- Salem State, Dr. Reaves noted, there is a growing gap between students who might well be accepted at Harvard
or Howard, and those who can’t do simple fractions. The reasons are complex, he said, but the result is that many students who
have no real chance of succeeding are admitted to college, only to drop out, disillusioned and with their self- confi dence destroyed.
Two years at a community college may be the answer for some. As Dr. Green said, “ Universities may not be well- equipped
to help underprepared students, but community colleges have that as a consistent part of our mission. We have small classes,
taught by instructors who are trained and committed to helping academically weak students succeed. We offer developmental
courses that bring students up to speed on basic skills, and we have a number of mentoring and counseling services.”
One of the advantages of dual admission is that a student who meets all the requirements for an associate’s degree will be
assured a place at Winston- Salem State. Too often, Dr. Reaves said, students run into a lot of red tape when they try to transfer
their college credits to a university. And these students will already have a relationship with the university when they arrive.
From the time they start their college career at Forsyth Tech, they’ll have access to activities and resources at Winston- Salem
State, such as the library and some social events.
When the admission process starts this spring, Winston- Salem State will be looking hard at students that it can’t admit,
but who might be very good candidates with preparation at Forsyth Tech. And Forsyth Tech will be looking at its entering
students, to identify those who might want to transfer to Winston- Salem State for their bachelor’s degree studies. One area
of emphasis will be minority males, who are dropping out of universities at higher rates than other groups, and attending
universities at lower rates.
“ Rather than having these students fail, we will be putting them in an environment where they can learn and build
confi dence,” said Dr. Reaves.
The fi rst year will be a pilot, involving about 25 students. And it might well be a pilot for the University of North Caro-lina
and the state’s community college system. While transfer agreements are in place, the Dual Admission Program takes
partnership between the two systems to a deeper level. As Dr. Green said, “ It’s a win- win- win, for the students, the community
college and the university.”
PRESIDENT GREEN
CHANCELLOR
REAVES
24 I www. forsythtech. edu I Winter 2010
The Foundation
Your Gift Creates a Strong College and a Strong Community How You Can
Support Forsyth Tech
Choose your level of support:
Give online: Use your credit card to make a secure donation
at www. forsythtech. edu/ support/ giving- to- forsyth- tech.
Send a check: Make your check payable to Forsyth Tech Foundation. Mail to The
Foundation of Forsyth Tech, 2100 Silas Creek Parkway, Winston- Salem, NC 27103- 5197.
Get more information: Learn about gifts you can make in honor of or in memory
of individuals, matching gifts, charitable trusts and bequests, and gifts of stocks and
property. Call Dr. Sharon B. Covitz, Executive Director, The Foundation of Forsyth Tech,
336.734.7520 or email scovitz@ forsythtech. edu.
Forsyth Technical Community College serves more than 50,000 students
annually in degree, diploma and certifi cate programs, and continuing education
courses. To make educational opportunities widely available, and to meet the
needs for a well- educated, skilled workforce, Forsyth Tech depends on private
contributions from people like you.
The Foundation of Forsyth Tech, a nonprofi t organization, is the fundraising arm
of the College. Your gift to Forsyth Tech through the Foundation will support:
> Scholarships for deserving students
> Technology for classrooms, labs and shops
> Professional development grants for faculty and sta
President’s Club $ 10,000 and up
Pinnacle Club $ 5,000 - $ 9,999
Pacesetter’s Club $ 1,000 - $ 4,999
Directors $ 500 - $ 999
Leaders $ 250 - $ 499
Champions $ 100 - $ 249
Friends Up to $ 99
Before she joined the Forsyth Tech Foundation board, Beverly Hubbard
Godfrey had no idea how responsive the college is to community needs.
“ I knew about the specialized services Forsyth Tech provided to Dell, but
I didn’t know that these services are available to just about any business in
Forsyth County. I didn’t know how fl exible the college is,” she said.
In the past year, Ms. Godfrey learned exactly how responsive Forsyth Tech
can be. For the fi rst time, her company, Coldwell Banker Triad Realtors, had to lay
off employees, and she, as president and CEO, had to break the news, a terribly dis-tressing
responsibility. The company wasn’t in a position to hire an outplacement
fi rm, so Ms. Godfrey asked Dr. Shari Covitz, Executive Director of the Foundation,
if there was any way Forsyth Tech could help those employees. Sue Marion, Vice
President of the Division of Corporate and Continuing Education, called her the
same day. The next week a team from Forsyth Tech arrived and met individually
with all employees who were losing their jobs.
“ They told them about all the programs and classes and support that were
available, and almost everything they offered was at no charge to the employees.
It was a godsend,” Ms. Godfrey said. “ I had people who had been laid off come
back and thank me.”
Ms. Godfrey has been impressed with how Forsyth Tech has gone the extra mile
in this recession to accommodate the thousands more people who have come for
training and support, even as the budget has been cut. And she has been highly
impressed with the scope and sophistication of program offerings.
“ People really don’t know the amazing quality of education we have here,”
she said, mentioning the cutting- edge courses in green building, the use of Second
Life technology in online course offerings, and the selection of Forsyth Tech by the
national Manufacturing Institute to develop a new certifi cation process with a grant
from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as just a few of many distinctions.
“ Every business in our community benefi ts from Forsyth Tech one way or an-other,
whether they know it or not,” she said. “ Every business should make Forsyth
Tech a benefi ciary of their annual giving because the college needs private support
to be the outstanding institution that it is.”
Why I Support Forsyth Tech Godfrey Beverly
Hubbard
Winter 2010 I www. forsythtech. edu I 25